In a turn of events, Mayor Muriel Bowser has given the green light to a temporary increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding for District of Columbia (DC) residents. About 140,000 people in the District rely on SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps. The funding decrease occurred last March, when federal pandemic relief funds ran out.
The DC Council intervened by passing legislation requiring the Mayor to use approximately $40 million to augment these benefits for nine months, should the District have a budget surplus. This measure was part of the city's 'Budget Act'.
Although the District closed the last fiscal year with a surplus, Bowser was initially reluctant to implement this measure, expressing concern about the budget strategy. However, on Wednesday night she announced her decision to avoid a potential legal showdown with the Council.
"I remain concerned about this budget maneuver which is not a good idea, but the Council has threatened to sue us and that says they are not interested in discussing alternatives. That's why we have to accept this bad idea," Bowser said. For his part, DC Council Speaker Phil Mendelson indicated that talks will continue to address the challenges facing the mayor's administration.
Director Laura Zeilinger of the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) confirmed the temporary increase and commented, "While there are still fiscal and administrative pressures, I informed the Mayor this afternoon that DHS will make this program work while we try to resolve the current challenges."
The decision comes after Legal Aid DC informed the Bowser administration of its intention to file a lawsuit if SNAP was not funded, in accordance with DC law. The entity's executive director stressed that "it should not take a lawsuit for the mayor to follow a law that the Council unanimously passed."
With the increase scheduled for only nine months, the focus is on whether beneficiaries will begin receiving the increase in January. If not, Legal Aid could move forward with its lawsuit. "We don't know when we will start depositing the increases. Our team needs to take care of administrative processes and we don't want this to affect other programs," Bowser stressed, while Mendelson insists the $18 will make a difference to families.