Compassion illustrated by bill providing meals for needy military dependents
SAN DIEGO — Two members of the San Diego County congressional delegation — Democrats Susan Davis and Mike Levin — have introduced legislation to help enlisted military families assure their children are well fed.
This is reflective of an ongoing effort by Davis, a retiring senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Education and Labor Committee, to persuade the federal government that the eligibility terms for its food stamp program (also known as SNAP) discriminate against enlisted military families. The bill would declare that school children in any military family earning less than 185 percent of the federal-poverty-line income would be declared eligible for federal assistance via school and reduced lunch programs in whatever school district they attend.
“Of all the sacrifices our military families make, putting food on the table should not be one of them,” Davis stated in a news release. “Through no fault of their own, some military families are denied food assistance because their housing allowance is considered income. I have been working to fix this unfair policy and make these families eligible for assistance. Until then, the least we can do is ensure their children are properly fed and provide peace of mind for their parents.”
Agreeing, Abby J. Leibman, president and CEO of MAZON–A Jewish Response to Hunger, was quoted in the news release as saying: “For nearly a decade, we have been urging policymakers to address the shameful and painful reality that military families are struggling with food insecurity. We’ve been disappointed time and time again by leaders who fail to address the devastating reality that military families around the country are quietly relying on free and reduced-price school meals, as well as seeking help from food pantries that operate on or near every military base in the U.S. It is completely unacceptable that thousands of military families find themselves ineligible for programs like SNAP simply because their Basic Allowance for Housing is unfairly treated as income.”
In that same news release, Levin commented: “The men and women, who risk their lives for our country, should never struggle to feed their children. It’s unacceptable that one in seven military families face food insecurity.”
It is this type of compassionate response to the needs of constituents that characterize not only Levin and Davis, but also the two other current members of the San Diego County delegation, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas, both Democrats.
Peters, for example, saw the injustice of a law that said that to receive full GI education benefits, a person must have served in the military for a full 36 months, even if they had been awarded a Purple Heart and had been honorably discharged before that time. He persuaded fellow legislators that “Purple Heart recipients have made some of the most tremendous sacrifices in service to our nation. They earned full education benefits through their service.”
Vargas last month protested slowdowns at U.S. – Mexico border crossings, which he said has hampered not only leisure tourists but also essential workers trying to get from Mexico to their jobs in the United States, causing some to miss their shifts entirely. “CBP’s operational changes were implemented without consideration for how these changes would impact essential workers,” Vargas pointed out. “Ten-hour border wait times are simply unacceptable. Individuals are crossing to do essential work and take part in supporting our economy. They shouldn’t be faced with sudden and unnecessary surges in border wait times.”
Levin, Peters and Vargas are compassionate members of Congress of whom we all can be proud. For open seats, we also have supported Ammar Campa-Najjar in the 50th District and Sara Jacobs in the 53rd District. It is our pleasure to endorse the reelection of Levin, Peters and Vargas, while wishing Davis the very best in retirement after 20 years of honorable service in Congress.
Our recommendations:
49th Congressional District: Mike Levin
50th Congressional District: Ammar Campa-Najjar
51st Congressional District: Juan Vargas
52nd Congressional District: Scott Peters
53rd Congressional District: Sara Jacobs
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
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