Warren introduces bill expanding food stamps to low-income college students

[bluewater]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Al Lawson introduce bill expanding food stamps to low-income college students

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Al Lawson introduced on Wednesday legislation that would make low-income college students eligible for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The College Student Hunger Act of 2019 would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to include college students who qualify for a federal Pell grant or whose families are considered low-income.
Most people ages 18 to 49 who are enrolled in college and have no disabilities are ineligible for food stamps, except for certain students in state-designated work and training programs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. Warren is a Democrat from Massachusetts and Lawson is a Florida Democrat.

The legislation comes months after a Government Accountability Office report found that 2 million at-risk college students who could be eligible for SNAP didn’t receive benefits in 2016.
In Massachusetts, college students have reported going hungry. Emerson College and Bunker Hill Community College, both in Boston, are just two of several universities across the country that have launched food pantries for students who can’t afford meals.

“As more and more students struggle to afford college and take on a mountain of student loan debt, nearly one in three college students cannot even afford basic necessities like food,” said Warren who is running for the president. “Our bill will ensure students have the support they need to work toward a better future without going hungry.”

https://www.masslive.com/politics/2019/07/sen-elizabeth-warren-rep-al-lawson-introduce-bill-expanding-food-stamps-to-low-income-college-students.html