By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) proposed an emergency resolution on Jan. 2 that would allow the council to sue or join a lawsuit against Mayor Muriel Bowser after her efforts to block the “Give SNAP a Raise Amendment Act of 2022.”
The legislation was passed by the D.C. Council last year and approved funding temporarily to supplement eligible residents. After waiting on additional implementation from the mayor, it is probable that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will no longer see an increase this month. Leaders are waiting on Bowser to release the funds needed to implement the initiative.
The new resolution, introduced on Jan. 2, entitled the “SNAP Litigation Authorization Act,” will be on the council’s agenda at their Jan. 9 meeting. It only needs one vote to pass and does not require congressional or mayoral review.
“On Jan. 1, more than 140,000 D.C. residents were supposed to receive an increase in
SNAP benefits that we funded in the D.C. budget. Now, Mayor Bowser is blocking this food
assistance from reaching families,” said Ward 4 Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George (D-D.C.) in her official statement on the matter. “Increased SNAP benefits are a necessary lifeline for so many children, adults and senior citizens who face hunger in our city. We cannot let the $40 million that was earmarked for food assistance be withheld when so many of our neighbors need relief.”
In early 2023, Congress ended additional SNAP benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a 34 percent reduction in monthly allotments, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Rental company Bungalow says D.C. residents can expect to pay 10 percent more than the national average in groceries at $304 per month but District SNAP recipients only receive about $191 on average each month. This legislation, which was approved, would have created a 10 percent SNAP increase, or an additional $47 monthly.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has refused to comply with the expansion, citing budgetary and staffing issues.
According to D.C. council members, Bowser proposed that the necessary administrative costs for Summer EBT, a federal program to provide food assistance to families with school-aged children when school is not in session, be funded instead of increasing SNAP.
“The administrative costs would be around $2 million, a small percentage of the $38 million allocated for SNAP, and would only serve families with school-aged children, leaving out the many adults and seniors without children who rely on SNAP benefits,” the letter continued.
This decision to forego an immediate increase in SNAP funding will gravely affect communities of color including the Hspanic and Black population in the District. According to statistics shared by Henderson, Black residents rely on SNAP benefits 10 times more than their White counterparts.
“We cannot let the $40 million that was earmarked for food assistance be withheld when so many of our neighbors need relief.”
Recently, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb chimed in on the matter, citing that, according to the law, Bowser can only reroute SNAP funds with council approval.
“Because the statutory language concerning the SNAP benefit increase is mandatory and included in an approved budget plan, the Mayor must expend the funds as the Council directed and cannot unilaterally use them for other purposes,” said Schwalb in a memorandum. “Once the Office of the Chief Financial Officer revenue estimate showed excess revenues, the funds were required to ‘be allocated and expended’ in the manner the Council described.”
Bowser and Wayne Turnage, deputy mayor for the District of Columbia Health and Human Services (DHS), did not respond to the AFRO’s request for comment.
In December 2023, the council addressed a letter to the mayor encouraging her to fund the SNAP increases in Fiscal Year 2024.
“We urge you to reconsider your decision, respect the budget that the Council passed and you signed and direct DHS to prioritize timely implementation of the SNAP increase,” the D.C. council shared in a collective open letter to the mayor.
Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.
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