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Today I want to talk about how #AmericaEats through @USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program...SNAP. A part of our food system so significant that 1 out of 7 Americans is eligible. A program that feeds our country, supports local economies, & can do so much more 
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Letâs start w/ what SNAP isnât...is NOT a handout. It is economic infusion into the hands of community businesses & small farms. Every $1 invested creates $1.70 in economic activity! Itâs also our first line of defense against hunger and is proven to lower the poverty rate. 2/
With rising unemployment, already weâre seeing an increase in need and eligibility. @SpeakerPelosi @senatemajldr @POTUS @SecretarySonny with pragmatic bipartisan action, we can turn this from a problem into an opportunity 3/ https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-case-for-boosting-snap-benefits-in-next-major-economic-response-package
The food supply chain is broken. By investing @USDA dollars into SNAP & other initiatives, we not only provide assistance to those who need it...weâre also injecting support into the system to protect it on behalf of farmers, suppliers, and consumers 4/ https://twitter.com/chefjoseandres/status/1255671337667919872?s=21
Today, @SpeakerPelosi introduced a proposal to fund expanded eligibility & increase minimum benefit. Would provide instant relief for millions of seniors, veterans, working families, and 1 out of every 4 US children who stay fed thanks to SNAP. What true leadership looks like! 5/
We must be bold! Our food system is overwhelmed & is not enough to increase benefit w/o flexibility too. Online grocery purchases that @SenBobCasey championed should be allowed in all 50 states with USDA making it as easy as possible to participate 6/ https://civileats.com/2020/04/13/what-more-states-allowing-snap-recipients-to-buy-food-online-means-for-food-security/
SNAP hot food purchases should be allowed as during natural disasters...should be waived yesterday!! @RepGraceMeng @RepEspaillat and many others in Congress have been fighting for this and thankfully itâs included in the House package 7/ https://meng.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/meng-and-espaillat-call-for-key-food-assistance-program-to-allow-hot
. @ChrisMurphyCT and @RepJimmyPanetta have a plan to expand the Restaurant Meals Program to allow more businesses to help reach more people. Nutrition champions from both parties are working together on more solutions...but needs the urgency of now! 8/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/04/28/democrats-want-to-let-millions-more-americans-use-their-food-stamps-at-restaurants/
The House has put forth a plan, and now @senatemajldr needs to show leadership that fighting hunger isnât partisan...itâs patriotic, helping all Americans with SNAP and the economic benefits it creates in all our communities. 9/
SNAP is not the only way of course...school meals, Pandemic-EBT, Farmers to Families, WIC, etc. many proven programs, all investing money into the solution of ending hunger and strengthening our economy 10/
The hard reality is that we live in a country where in the âgood timesâ...even the âbest timesâ...our system leaves 40 million people in need of nutrition assistance and millions more dependent on food banks. The shame isnât on them - itâs on us. 11/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-must-prioritize-food-assistance-as-hunger-worsens/2020/05/10/0fd4bec2-9172-11ea-a0bc-4e9ad4866d21_story.html
In the words of my mentor, the great @robertegger: âIt seems charity too often is about the redemption of the giver, and not the liberation of the receiver.â What action are we taking to ensure nutrition programs liberate hungry communities all across our country? /12
We must dream and fight for SNAP that reaches more people with more nutritious food
, supporting more small farms 
and mom & pop stores 
and eliminating food deserts...while working toward an America where SNAP one day is no longer needed. 13/
, supporting more small farms and mom & pop stores and eliminating food deserts...while working toward an America where SNAP one day is no longer needed. 13/
Hunger doesnât know religion, it doesnât know race, it doesnât know borders, and it sure doesnât know politics. In the #1 food producing nation on earth, the only excuse for leaving and keeping our fellow citizens hungry is moral cowardice. /14
Sure, we can argue the name of the program, its efficiency, how it can put more $ into local economies. Thanks to #SNAP, we have an opportunity to continue lending a hand to our less fortunate neighbors in the tough times ahead & in the process invest in a better tomorrow 
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