Washington, D.C. – The National Grocers Association (NGA) today is thanking members of Congress for protecting grocers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in the FY 2024 agriculture appropriations bill by eliminating a provision that could have caused widespread disruptions and undercut SNAP’s effectiveness.
A proposal dropped from the final bill would have sharply limited the types of foods covered under SNAP, and forced grocers to examine hundreds of thousands of food items to decide which qualify and which don’t. The proposed pilot program would have asked the government to pick winners and losers in the grocery sector and harmed the 42 million SNAP participants who have diverse nutritional needs.
“Fortunately, members of Congress realized a proposal that looked simple on paper would have created confusion for program participants and resulted in a costly bureaucratic nightmare for small businesses around this country,” said Stephanie Johnson, RDN, NGA vice president of government relations. “The strength of SNAP is within its efficient and flexible design. We are proud to support the continuation of an effective and impactful program for families and local economies.”
NGA also supports the $7.03 billion in funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to continue this critical lifelines for millions of families.
