AHNC Members:
Colleagues:
Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the injunction prohibiting the Department of Social and Health Services from eliminating or cutting benefits provided under the State Food Assistance Program. Protection for the more than 31,000 people, including 12,500 children, living in households receiving SFA no longer exists and benefits will drop to 50% of the federal Basic Food (food stamp) Program.
The state legislature can restore equal benefits to SFA recipients – the 2011 Biennial Budget preserved the program but provided half benefits to this small portion of the state’s over 1 million people now receiving Basic Food. We need your action to reach out to members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee to ask that they support an amendment to the Senate proposed Supplemental Budget that provides adequate funding to restore full benefits to the legal, documented immigrants eligible for State Food Assistance.
Please ask your networks to send messages to members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee: the time is short – we expect a vote in Ways and Means tomorrow
Support an amendment in the Senate Ways and Means vote on the Supplemental Budget that restores full benefits to recipients of State Food Assistance. Legal, documented immigrants come to Washington to escape poor or toxic conditions in their home countries, and to pursue their dreams of earning wages and supporting their families. When times are tough, it’s no time to single out one group of people to slash food benefits and increase food insecurity. That’s not the Washington way. Thank you.