Less than a month after funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program seemed safe with the end to the federal budget impasse, SNAP benefits in nearly half the states in the country face uncertainty again. In Butler County, that is 8%, or nearly 15,000, of our neighbors.

At a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Dec. 2, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, would move to withhold funds for the program for most recipients in 22 states — including ours — and the District of Columbia starting next week unless those states provide further information.

The federal government wants the names, birth dates, home addresses and immigration status of recipients. Those in the country illegally are not eligible for SNAP benefits, but can claim them on behalf of their minor children if they are U.S. citizens.

While Gov. Josh Shapiro has not issued a formal statement on the request and the ensuing lawsuit, the state Department of Human Services has previously cited the “sensitivity” of the data and noted “several states have raised concerns regarding the legal authority and procedural processes associated with this request.”

Pennsylvania was among the states that previously sued to block a USDA demand for the information. In October, District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction blocking the request. Regardless of that decision, a letter to those states not providing the information gave them a deadline of Dec. 8 to respond to the request anyway or potentially lose funding.

But the food security provided by SNAP is far too important to play politics with. Nearly 1 in 8 Americans rely on SNAP benefits to offset the costs of feeding themselves and their households — that equates to about 42 million people.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in Pennsylvania, about 62% of households receiving SNAP benefits include children and about 37% include older adults and those with disabilities.

That means the majority of program funds go to households that include the most vulnerable members of our communities.

As the holidays continue and we enter the season of giving, we hope the USDA and the 22 states at risk can come to some sort of agreement. The support SNAP provides to help combat food insecurity is too vital not to.

— JP