Luján Leads Legislation to Support Merit Staff and Protect SNAP Program Integrity

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, introduced the SNAP Administrator Retention Act, legislation that would support merit staff and protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) integrity. The SNAP Administrator Retention Act would provide states with federal resources to ensure state agencies can retain their experienced merit staff and help fill open SNAP administrator positions, allowing the program to operate at peak efficiency. U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House.

Specifically, the SNAP Administrator Retention Act gives states the ability to receive 100 percent of the administrative personnel costs associated with hiring and retaining the merit staff who carry out the SNAP program and aligns the wages of SNAP administrators with the federal wage standards.

In New Mexico and across the country, SNAP is a lifeline for Americans facing hunger and poverty. In New Mexico, nearly 20 percent of the state’s population depends on SNAP to feed themselves and their families. Across the country, nearly 40 percent of SNAP recipients are children. Merit staff play an essential role in determining SNAP eligibility, walking recipients through the application process, and ensuring that applications are processed as quickly as possible.

“In New Mexico and across the country, the merit staff who administer SNAP help families access critical nutrition benefits and keep food on the table,” said Senator Luján. “To ensure we can continue to support families who depend on SNAP, I am proud to introduce the SNAP Administrator Retention Act. This bill would address SNAP staffing shortages, decrease backlogs, and ensure that state agencies can retain the experienced staff who keep the program running. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this passed.”

“SNAP is an essential lifeline for nearly one in seven families who rely on the program to keep food on the table. But failure to invest in SNAP’s workforce has led to severe staffing shortages, creating backlogs that force too many people to wait for services they can’t live without. Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s SNAP Administrator Retention Act will help restore SNAP’s workforce to full strength and stop dangerous privatization schemes, so that hungry families can get help when they need it. It’s time for real solutions, not short-term band-aids. Congress must pass this critical legislation,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.

“The effective administration of SNAP is critical to addressing our nation’s hunger crisis and preserving the program’s integrity,” said Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “The SNAP Administrator Retention Act would provide state agencies with the resources needed to recruit, train, and retain skilled merit staff, which will help streamline administrative processes, reduce delays, and strengthen access to this essential program. It’s a win-win for families and for states.”

In Congress, Senator Luján has long fought to protect and improve SNAP, leading legislation to protect local grocers from transaction fees that would make it harder for them to accept SNAP benefits and fighting to protect access to SNAP in the Farm Bill.

The legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), and NAACP.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

###