Roberts lead bipartisan call for revisions to proposed rule that would limit SNAP retailers

U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) led a bipartisan call on Tuesday for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise a proposed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule that could limit access to food.

Roberts and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the ranking member of the committee, co-authored the letter, titled “Enhancing Retailer Standards in SNAP,” calling on the USDA to revise the proposed rule.

“To improve program integrity, ensure that the program continues to assist vulnerable populations in meeting their nutritional needs, and to encourage stores to increase the variety and quantity of nutritious food items available to SNAP beneficiaries, the Agricultural Act of 2014 made changes to stocking requirements for staple and perishable food items for retailers participating in SNAP,” the letter states. “When making these changes, Congress specifically acknowledged the importance of preserving food access and deliberately chose not to make modifications related to percentages of sales of hot foods.”

In addition to including changes outlined in the Agricultural Act of 2014, the proposed rule also outlines changes based on a previous request for information about requirements for SNAP retail food stores.

“Unfortunately, the combined impact of the proposed changes will likely result in the removal of a large number of small format retailers and small businesses from SNAP,” the letter states. “This raises questions regarding the ability of FNS to mitigate the food access challenges as Congress intended.”

Many SNAP recipients live in areas with limited access to large grocery stores and rely on neighborhood stores, drugstores and convenience stores to make SNAP purchases, the letter states.

“In the rural and urban communities in the states we represent, numerous access obstacles can prevent our low-income constituents from reaching SNAP retailers to redeem benefits,” Roberts and Stabenow wrote. “These obstacles include geographic location, limited hours of store operations, or restricted transportation options. SNAP beneficiaries often work long hours or multiple jobs to provide for their families, and can face difficulties in accessing the foods.”

The burden of complying with the proposed rule would be too high for some of the more than 100,000 small format SNAP authorized retailers to continue serving as a food source, the letter concludes.

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bob Corker (R-TN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Rob Portman (R-OH) were among the 47 senators who signed the letter.