Reps. Meng and Garbarino Lead 65 New York Elected Officials in Urging President Biden to Support SNAP Hot Food Purchases

QUEENS, NY – Today, U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), who are pushing legislation that would allow the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to cover hot food purchases, led dozens of New York City and New York State elected officials in calling on President Biden to support the inclusion of the Hot Foods Act in the upcoming 2024 Farm Bill.

The Hot Foods Act, which was introduced in May by Reps. Meng, Garbarino, Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), would remove an outdated rule that prevents families from using their SNAP benefits to buy hot foods such as prepared rotisserie chickens, hot sandwiches and soups.

The New York elected officials made their request in a bipartisan letter to the President. 2.8 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP to put food on the table.

“Contrary to popular misconception, 4 out of 5 households in the program have at least one family member working,” said the lawmakers in their letter. “This makes the Hot Foods Act all the more critical; as you well know, working parents often do not have time to make food from scratch.Some individuals with disabilities and aging Americans can face greater mobility challenges in cooking meals from scratch and would greatly benefit from being able to purchase a hot meal with their SNAP benefits. The United States should cut unnecessary red tape and allow families to buy hot, prepared foods.”

A copy of the letter can be viewed here and the text of the correspondence is below.

Lawmakers signing the correspondence include:

• Members of Congress (6)

Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Jerrold Nadler, Paul Tonko, Nicole Malliotakis, Pat Ryan, Nydia Velázquez.

• New York State Senators (14)

Jamaal T. Bailey, Iwen Chu, Cordell Cleare, Michael Gianaris, Andrew Gounardes, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Liz Krueger, John C. Liu, John W. Mannion, Shelly B. Mayer, Julia Salazar, Jose M. Serrano, James Skoufis, Kevin Thomas.

• New York State Assembly Members (28)

Juan Ardila, Sam Berger, Edward C. Braunstein, Kenny Burgos, William Colton, Catalina Cruz, Harvey Epstein, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Deborah J. Glick, Jessica González-Rojas, Andrew Hevesi, Chantel Jackson, Grace Lee, Donna A. Lupardo, David G. McDonough, Karen McMahon, Michael Novakhov, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Steven Raga, Karines Reyes, Linda B. Rosenthal, Rebecca A. Seawright, Amanda Septimo, Gina L. Sillitti, Doug Smith, Al Stirpe, Fred W. Thiele, Jr., Yudelka Tapia.

• New York City Council Members (17)

Adrienne E. Adams, Erik Bottcher, Justin Brannan, TiffanyCabán, Shahana Hanif, Rita C. Joseph, Shekar Krishnan, Christopher Marte, Julie Menin, Sandy Nurse, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera, Lynn Schulman, Marjorie Velázquez, Nantasha Williams, Julie Won, Kalman Yeger.

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Dear President Biden,  

Your administration has made historic investments in American families with the acknowledgement that it should be easier for American families to break into the middle class. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical poverty reduction program that nourishes millions of Americans in their quest to build stable lives for their families. As elected representatives of New York City and New York State, we encourage you to continue your work by supporting Congresswoman Grace Meng’s Hot Foods Act inclusion in the 2024 Farm Bill.  

Since its enactment 60 years ago, SNAP has prohibited the purchase of hot foods. While this restriction may have made sense in the 1970s, when most families were cooking their meals at home, it is no longer an accurate reflection of American families’ dietary or lifestyle needs. Retailers are also evolving to match Americans’ consumer habits, and have expanded their offerings to include more hot and prepared foods. 

The bipartisan, bicameral Hot Foods Act of 2023 (H.R. 3519/S. 2258) would remove the prohibition on purchasing hot, ready to eat foods with SNAP benefits. The Hot Foods Act is currently under consideration for inclusion in the 2024 Farm Bill, which Congress only reauthorizes every five years.

The hot foods prohibition means that SNAP customers can purchase cold or frozen items, but if retailers prepare or heat the same food items, they become ineligible for purchase under the program. In practical terms, a parent can purchase a frozen rotisserie chicken and spend over an hour cooking it but cannot purchase a hot rotisserie chicken to eat immediately at home.  

More than 42 million Americans rely on federal food benefits. Contrary to popular misconception, 4 out of 5 households in the program have at least one family member working. This makes the Hot Foods Act all the more critical; as you well know, working parents often do not have time to make food from scratch. Some individuals with disabilities and aging Americans can face greater mobility challenges in cooking meals from scratch and would greatly benefit from being able to purchase a hot meal with their SNAP benefits. The United States should cut unnecessary red tape and allow families to buy hot, prepared foods.

On behalf of the 2.8 million New Yorkers who benefit from SNAP, we ask you to support the Hot Foods Act inclusion in the 2024 Farm Bill. This is our only chance for the next five years to make sure all Americans can support their families with the dignity of a hot meal. 

Sincerely,