Jenniffer González manages to include an amendment in the budget project that seeks to increase funds for the PAN

Statement

The federal House Rules Committee gave way to the amendment by Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón, which aims to increase the funds Puerto Rico receives under the US $ 1.9 billion to $ 2.5 billion Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) for next fiscal year 2021.

With the approved amendment, an additional $ 528,535,000 would be allocated to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Puerto Rico does not participate in SNAP, however, the PAN receives allocations from said program. This amendment is the first step in the legislative process so that the funds are finally approved for the island.

The amendment becomes part of HR 7608, a measure that groups together budget proposals for agencies related to foreign operations, agriculture, rural development, military construction, and veteran and environmental affairs. It includes language and funds managed by the congresswoman that benefit the Island. This bill is expected to be approved in the Chamber of the federal Chamber this week.

"This amendment represents a firm step in the direction of receiving more regular funds for the PAN. This would allow us to accommodate changes or increases in demand to the program as they arise. I am extremely proud to get Congress to show interest and support for this program in the upcoming fiscal year and will continue to work toward the goal of increased funding, "said the resident commissioner.

Unlike the 50 states, Washington, DC, the Virgin Islands and Guam, Puerto Rico does not participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, known as SNAP for its acronym in English, but receives funds through the Nutritional Assistance Program, or PAN, which has an annual funding limit.

Due to the limited availability of funds, Puerto Rico needs to apply strict income and other eligibility guidelines that challenge access to the program and provide monthly benefits that are sometimes between 30% and 50% less than in SNAP.

Resident Commissioner González-Colón has repeatedly requested additional funds to supplement PAN's block grant allocation, approximately $ 1.9 billion annually, with emergency funds and increase opportunities to provide nutritional assistance to those affected by the hurricanes. , earthquakes, and now COVID-19.

"Puerto Rico's immediate food needs require strengthening the regular PAN grant. Getting the program to have greater budgetary capacity would allow us to provide better benefits and handle emergency periods, which tend to be accompanied by an increase in participants, with greater speed and efficiency. " said the resident commissioner.

Additional steps of the commissioner in relation to the PAN

Currently, Puerto Rico has about 150,000 new participants in the program and continues to evaluate pending applications, illustrating the changes in demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 116-127) and the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) approved nearly $ 297 million for the PAN to help manage food needs related to the Coronavirus emergency period.

Likewise, the commissioner managed emergency funds from the PAN after Hurricane María in two individual allocations of $ 1.27 billion and $ 600 million. The combination of these funds and the funds provided by COVID-19 expire in the month of August, which means that, beginning in August, the PAN returns to using regular program funds.

Another of the congresswoman's requests for the next COVID-19 packages, apart from additional emergency funds for the PAN, is the participation of Puerto Rico in the official Pandemic-EBT program. This would benefit about 218 thousand students who participate in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs and have been affected by the closure of schools in relation to the Coronavirus.

"The difficulties we are going through have particularly impacted our students. I trust that having access to the official Pandemic-EBT program would complement efforts to ensure that nutritional needs during these uncertain times are fully covered," explained González Colón.

Source