The federal government shutdown threatens SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits across the nation, as well as nutrition assistance in the territories. Puerto Rico will not receive the federal funds that help meet the food needs of the less fortunate, any more than the states will. How will Puerto Rico cope with the shutdown’s effects on nutrition assistance?
In Puerto Rico, it’s NAP, not SNAP
Although there have been ongoing efforts to shift Puerto Rico back to the SNAP program that covers the states, the Island currently has a different program, called NAP (Nutrition Assistance Program). This is different from SNAP in several ways:
- Instead of reimbursing Puerto Rico for a percentage of all the costs for food stamps, the federal government provides a grant with capped funding. Even when needs increase, the funds do not. When the money runs out, the government cannot be reimbursed for the expenses of the NAP program.
- The amount provided for Puerto Rico is significantly lower than the amount provided for states with similar populations.
- The percentage of reimbursement is also lower than it would be if Puerto Rico were a state.
- When need spikes, like after a hurricane, benefits do not increase automatically to meet the new needs. Instead, Congress must provide additional funding to meet the need. This provides tremendous uncertainty for both people in need and the federal budget.
- Puerto Rico cannot benefit from administrative enhancements and accountability/monitoring measures like the states do.
The result of these differences is that needy families in Puerto Rico receive less food than those in the states. 40% of people in Puerto Rico are considered food insecure, compared with 13.5% of households in the states. Since Puerto Rico also has higher sales tax on food than any state, the shutdown’s effect on nutrition support is even more serious in Puerto Rico than in the states.
How is nutrition assistance being affected?
As of this writing, the government shutdown is continuing and the USDA froze funding for SNAP and therefore also for NAP. However, courts ruled that this decision was illegal. While there have been several contradictory statements on the subject, it appears that people eligible for SNAP will receive 50-65% of the usual amount in the month of November. States may or may not be reimbursed if they choose to make up the difference within their states.
Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon announced that the territory will come up with the additional funds needed for the month of November. “[F]or me, the peace of mind of our people is very important, and that they know they will have access to this money. That’s why, in the case of Puerto Rico, we made cost-cutting measures, ” she told the Weekly Journal.
