Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and a bipartisan group of House members introduced two pieces of legislation to address hunger and food insecurity in the military. The Military Food Security Act and the Military Family Nutrition Access Act would exclude the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from income calculations for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“Caring for servicemembers and their families is the foundation of military readiness. It is unacceptable that the men and women who serve our country worry about putting food on the table,” said Rep. Strickland. “I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Military Food Security Act and the Military Family Nutrition Access Act to take care of military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and across the nation. We must uphold our end of the promise to our servicemembers and put an end to military hunger.”
“It’s unconscionable to think that there are those who serve our nation who go hungry. Moreover, it’s absolutely unacceptable that they and their families are unable to access government food programs just because of a bureaucratic calculation,” said Rep. Panetta. “My Military Family Nutrition Act and the Military Food Security Act can fix that issue by removing certain barriers for that computation that would allow them easier access to assistance programs, like the Basic Needs Allowance and SNAP. It’s these types of commonsense bipartisan bills in Congress that need to get passed and signed into law to insure the health and wellbeing of our service members and their families who contribute so much to the security of our nation.”
The Military Food Security Act of 2023 would expand eligibility for the BNA by excluding BAH from income calculations that determine eligibility for the BNA. The legislation would significantly expand access to BNA.
The Military Family Nutrition Access Act would remove barriers which prevent military families from accessing safety-net nutrition assistance programs, including by excluding the BAH from income calculations used to determine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility. Companion legislation has been reintroduced by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Additionally, the Military Family Nutrition Access Act will provide a range of support measures to help military families access healthy and affordable food options. These measures include:
- Expanding the eligibility criteria for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to include military families who meet certain income requirements.
- Providing grants to military installations to support the development of farmers markets and healthy food options on base.
- Establishing a pilot program to provide healthy meal kits to military families.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is the Congressional Black Caucus whip, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.