Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens that deserve the same equitable safety net to provide for their families and keep food on the table as other Americans. As Congress works to write the 2023 Farm Bill, we urge them to remember the challenges faced by the children, parents, and elderly in Puerto Rico and afford them equitable participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Puerto Ricans are only eligible to participate in the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP), a federal block grant. In 1982, when NAP was implemented, there was an immediate 25 percent reduction in aid, and the maximum monthly benefit for the most people receiving NAP in Puerto Rico averages 41 percent less than SNAP benefits in the continental United States.
How the NAP program is administered differs from the real-life scenarios of the people and families it is meant to help. While SNAP is a needs-based program designed to fluctuate with economic need – NAP participants are subject to lower benefits with more stringent income and eligibility requirements.
More than three million people call the island home and, like other Americans, are facing increasing challenges due to natural disasters and global health crises that have resulted in economic downturns. This challenging reality is met not only during the height of the tragedy but in the weeks, months, and years of the aftermath. With over 40 percent of the population living in poverty, it is essential that Puerto Ricans can access equitable nutrition benefits SNAP, and the 2023 Farm Bill provides an excellent opportunity to transition Puerto Rico into SNAP systematically.
The ability for the program to fluctuate is especially critical for Puerto Rico because population research has shown that in the last 15 years, over 700,000 adults aged 20-64 – the working population – have migrated away from the island, leaving behind an increasingly elderly population. Considering that the number of adults 65 and older in Puerto Rico has nearly doubled in the past ten years, making it the tenth highest elderly population in the world, we must realize that excluding Puerto Ricans from SNAP hurts the most vulnerable people.
The U.S. Congress should be aided by the fact that food security is not a partisan issue. Puerto Ricans on the mainland live in blue states such as New York and New Jersey and red states such as Florida and Texas. The island is the fifth largest market for U.S. agricultural products, and over 75 percent of the island's food and beverage imports come from across the U.S., benefitting manufacturing, distribution, farming, and transportation across the country. Puerto Rico spent over $6.5 billion on meats, grains, produce, dairy, and other food products in 2019 — benefiting states that provide the goods with tens of thousands of jobs.
It’s easy to sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! For the latest on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and around the country in agriculture, just click here.
The structure of NAP as a block grant severely limits Puerto Rico's ability to respond to disasters nimbly and efficiently. Unlike SNAP, NAP does not have a disaster component that can be immediately utilized in impacted areas, meaning that when disaster strikes, new funding must be authorized through Congress, which can take months. In 2017, those affected by Hurricane Maria waited six months to receive additional nutrition aid despite immediate needs.
As Congress works to strengthen the 2023 Farm Bill, we urge them to remember the challenges faced by Puerto Rico and, as Americans, afford them the same opportunities through full participation in SNAP.
Lillian Rodriguez Lopez has successful experiences at the highest levels of business, non-profits, and government. Since 2018, she has lead the Coalition for Food Security Puerto Rico, a bi-partisan, multisectoral coalition advocating for equitable nutrition and food security on the island. In previous roles, she served as the President of the Hispanic Federation, a national, non-profit membership organization of Latino health and human service agencies, and as a Vice President in the Public Affairs division of The Coca-Cola Company. She was the first woman elected to chair the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of the leading national Hispanic organizations focused on federal public policy and was recognized by People en Espanol as one of the 25 Most Powerful Hispanic Women in the country in 2010 and as one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the country in 2009.