Rep. Panetta Leads Bipartisan Effort For Federal Funding to Address Military Hunger
Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) led a bipartisan letter from 30 United States Representatives calling for significant federal funding to address food insecurity among military personnel and their families. The renewed push follows the release of recommendations from the House Armed Services Committee’s Quality of Life Panel which includes several of Rep. Panetta’s provisions to address the longstanding issue of military hunger.
Food insecurity among servicemembers and their families has been a longstanding concern for the United States Armed Forces. Recent analysis shows that previous assessments of food insecurity among the Armed Forces may have underestimated the scale of military hunger, with updated figures suggesting that 24% of all active-duty servicemembers, or approximately 286,800 personnel, experienced food insecurity in 2020 and 2021. A recent study from the Rand Corporation indicated that 25.8% of personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard were food insecure.
“Recent reporting, including from [the] RAND [corporation], clarifies the extent of insecurity to the point where Congress can no longer question the prevalence of military hunger,” wrote the Members. “Providing the capacity to purchase adequate nutritious meals for our military personnel and their families, especially ones with dependents, should not only be feasible, but a top priority. We owe it to our troops to take care of their basic needs.”
Rep. Panetta authored and introduced the bipartisan Military Food Security Act which would remove Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from income computation that is calculated to determine a servicemember's eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) in order to expand the reach of the program. Rep. Panetta also authored and introduced the bipartisan Military Family Nutrition Access Act which would exclude BAH from income calculations used to determine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility. California’s 19th Congressional District is home to 16 military installations and holds the distinction as one of the most expensive places to live in the country.
Additional signers of the letter include; Reps. Blake Moore (UT-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Mike Levin (CA-49), Nick LaLota (NY-01), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Danny Davis (IL-07), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Lou Correa (CA-46), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Donald Norcross (NJ-01) Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Jonathan Jackson (NC-01), Richard Neal (MA-01), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Katie Porter (CA-47), and Jim McGovern (MA-02).
The full letter can be found here and below.
Dear Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum:
As you begin to prepare the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), we respectfully request strong support for funds to address food insecurity among our military personnel and their families. For the past four years, the United States Congress has advocated for new and increased measures to assist our personnel facing food insecurity in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In October 2022, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees expressed concern over reports indicating the prevalence of military families facing hunger grew from one in eight families prior to 2020, to one in five since. While Congress established the Basic Needs Allowance in the FY22 NDAA, and lifted the Federal Poverty Limit to qualify for BNA from 130% to 150% in the FY23 NDAA, increased measures are needed to ensure that our service members and their families that are facing hunger have access to nutritious meals.
Food insecurity among servicemembers and their families has been a longstanding concern for the United States Armed Forces. In response, Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to report on food insecurity among Members of the Armed Forces and their dependents in the FY20 NDAA. In July 2022, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness released new analysis suggesting that previous assessments of food insecurity among the Armed Forces may have underestimated the scale of military hunger. Rather than the 0.1% of the force previously identified as food insecure, the updated analysis showed that 24% of all active-duty servicemembers, or approximately 286,800 personnel, experienced food insecurity in 2020 and 2021. More recently, the Office of the Secretary of Defense asked the RAND Corporation to produce its February 2023 report entitled, “Food Insecurity in the U.S. Military.” RAND’s findings indicated that 25.8% of personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard were food insecure. Of that, nearly 70% were mid-career enlisted personnel in grades E-4 to E-6, while the remaining majority were in grades E-1 to E-3.
Released findings from the Defense Department’s 2021 biennial Survey of Active Duty Spouses, published in February 2022, articulated the issue for military spouses. The report found that 31% of junior enlisted spouses are food insecure, and almost half comprise E1- E4 ranks. While prior years have witnessed concern about the quality of data collected regarding food insecurity, recent reporting, including from RAND, clarifies the extent of insecurity to the point where Congress can no longer question the prevalence of military hunger.
We respectfully request your partnership as we continue efforts to support around 287,000 servicemembers struggling to put food on their dinner tables. With a 2024 proposed defense budget of $841.4 billion, providing the capacity to purchase adequate nutritious meals for our military personnel and their families, especially ones with dependents, should not only be feasible, but a top priority. We owe it to our troops to take care of their basic needs.
Sincerely,
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