Press Releases

Miami, FL –Today, Rep. Wilson sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to approve the state of Florida's request to administer the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

D-SNAP allows people who are not typically eligible for SNAP benefits but have been impacted by a disaster to receive aid. In addition, current SNAP recipients could request supplemental benefits to raise their allotment to the maximum amount for their household size.

On March 22, Governor Ron DeSantis sent a letter to the administration requesting a major emergency declaration for the state of Florida and the activation of D-SNAP. South Florida has quickly become a coronavirus hot spot, with 3,764 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties alone. There are 7,773 confirmed cases throughout the state.

"Even in the best of times it is often a struggle for many families to put food on the table," said Rep. Wilson. "In the midst of this crisis, many Floridians who have been laid off or had to cover unexpected COVID-19-related expenses don't know where to turn to get their next meal. D-SNAP could make all the difference for struggling families and I hope that USDA acts swiftly to approve this much-needed aid."

The letter was signed by Representatives Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Charlie Crist (FL-13), Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-25), Val B. Demings (FL-10), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Lois Frankel (FL-21), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), Al Lawson, Jr. (FL-5), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Stephanie Murphy (FL-7), Donna Shalala (FL-27), Darren Soto (FL-9), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), and Senator Marco Rubio.

For the full letter, click here.