January 16, 2019- In Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program block grant, or NAP, is the sole source of nutrition assistance and food security for over 1.3 million residents on the island.
• After Hurricane Maria, Congress approved an additional $1.27 billion dollar increase in Puerto Rico’s NAP Program, in addition to the annual block grant amount of about $1.8 billion.
• This disaster relief allowed an increase in benefits for current beneficiaries, as well as an increase enrollment to bring assistance to close to 153 thousand new participants.
• However, this additional assistance is currently set to be expended in March of 2019, and the program’s funding would then be lowered again to the base amounts associated with the block grant.
• Additional assistance was desperately needed.
• That is why in May of 2018, I submitted an amendment to H.R. 2, also known as the Farm Bill, to increase the amount of funding allotted to Puerto Rico’s NAP.
• Then on December 2018 I sent a letter to House and Senate Leadership requesting $600 million in additional NAP funding.
• And on the first day of the 116th Congress, I sent a letter to the House Committees on Appropriations and Rules with the same request.
• I am very pleased that the House Committee on Appropriations included a $600 million dollar increase to Puerto Rico’s NAP program, available until FY20, in their latest Disaster Supplemental bill.
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