In the midst of delayed SNAP benefits, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, a resident of Springfield Township, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday, NPR reported.
The USDA issued revised guidance to states on Wednesday evening that will result in food stamp enrollees receiving somewhat larger partial benefits in November. The update calls for reducing the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit by 35%, instead of the original 50%.
Arkoosh, who was nominated for her current position in 2023, said in the letter that the updates would require Pennsylvania to restructure its eligibility and case management system which would take around 10 to 12 business days to complete. Issuing the benefits would take approximately another 10 days, she said.
“USDA is directing states to use the most complex and labor-intensive approach possible to issue partial payments when it has better, more efficient options available to drive out benefits during this crisis,” Arkoosh wrote. “This will only further delay availability of food assistance for nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians who are currently not receiving benefits to which they are entitled, and result in wasted taxpayer dollars and long-term harm to Pennsylvania’s SNAP program.”
Arkoosh asked the USDA to let states send food stamp recipients half of their usual benefit as a one-time issuance for November. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the USDA had not responded to her letter as of Wednesday.
Philadelphia councilmember Rue Landau, a Cheltenham High School graduate, suggested that Philadelphia “can also withhold their tax money that they’re paying to the federal government so we can feed our people.”
In August, state officials announced that SNAP would see qualification changes beginning September 1. Arkoosh criticized the new requirements in a statement.
“Programs like SNAP exist to help people meet the basic need of putting food on their tables so that they can live and thrive,” she said. “These new requirements put in place by Republicans in Washington, D.C., jeopardize this critical resource by creating burdensome red tape for people needing food.”
In response to the partial shutdown of the federal government, Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township signed a disaster declaration last week which directs $5 million to Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association of nine food banks, to help distribute across the state.
He said it would take “well over a month to drive those [SNAP] dollars out, because their bureaucratic hurdles that they set up. So, it’s not really a viable option for people who are hungry right now.” The best way forward is “getting the federal government to reopen and getting Donald Trump and the Republicans to do their job,” he said.
In related news, Shapiro talked with 6ABC about Democrats’ national success during Tuesday night’s election.
“I think there’s two takeaways. One is that it was a clear message to Donald Trump that folks are tired of the chaos. They’re tired of the extremism. And the second storyline is they want people who are focused on meeting their needs, who wants to get stuff done for them,” Shapiro said.
Their video coverage is below:
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.