The Farm Bill is a very important spending bill that is normally updated every five years. It includes programs for agriculture and conservation, but the largest spending in the bill goes for nutrition assistance: food stamps for U.S. states and territories. In the states and some of the territories, the program is SNAP. In Puerto Rico, it is the much less generous NAP.
The current farm bill was passed in 2018 and expired in 2023. Congress has not been able to pass a new one. However, the House has just passed a new version of the bill and the next move is up to the Senate.
What does this have to do with Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico’s agriculture sector accounts for less than 1% of the Island’s economic activity, but growers on the Island are still affected by the Farm Bill. The biggest issue for Puerto Rico, however, is the food assistance.
NAP, Puerto Rico’s version of food stamps, is far inferior to SNAP. It’s a block grant, for one thing. A certain amount of funding is provided to the territory each year. When it runs out, it runs out. SNAP, on the other hand, responds to needs. When needs for assistance are greater, the funding is greater.
The amount provided to the Island is smaller than the amount given to states. Puerto Rico used to be included the in the national food stamp program. When it was removed from SNAP, Puerto Rico was provided with a block grant worth 75% of what it had received under the national program. NAP is not a “separate but equal” program — it’s unquestionably unequal. Fewer households are eligible under NAP and those that are eligible receive less in benefits.
On average, households in Puerto Rico receive much less under NAP than they would under SNAP.
- NAP (current): about $350–$400/month for a typical family
- SNAP (projected): about $480–$550/month
For years, a transition from NAP to SNAP has been proposed. The idea has been that the new Farm Bill, whenever it is passed, should include Puerto Rico under SNAP. The new House version of the bill doesn’t do this. It includes this language:
“Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico
The Committee supports the goal of Puerto Rico ultimately transitioning from the Nutrition Assistance Program block grant to SNAP and recognizes that SNAP would give Puerto Rico more tools to promote employment. The Committee encourages both USDA and Puerto Rico to continue to formulate a financially and operationally viable pathway toward a transition and to remain engaged with Congress on the progress made in this effort. The Committee specifically encourages the Department to provide robust technical assistance to Puerto Rico throughout this process.”
What does this mean for Puerto Rico?
Food insecure people in Puerto Rico will continue to receive less assistance than those in the states. More than 40% of Puerto Rican households rely on NAP. The poverty level in Puerto Rico is higher than in any state, thanks to the current territory status. Therefore the need for nutrition assistance is greater. But Puerto Rico will continue to receive less.
Would statehood help?
Absolutely. And this example shows why a piecemeal plan to improve Puerto Rico’s position without changing the Island’s political status will not work. The resident commissioner, who favors continuing as a territory, has worked hard along with other members of Congress to get SNAP benefits for Puerto Rico.
But Congress is legally allowed to treat territories differently from states. Congress’s decisions to limit food for Puerto Rico is openly intended to save the federal government money. Congress would not, under the U.S. Constitution, be allowed to decide that helping New Mexico or Mississippi is just too expensive so they must go hungry. Since unincorporated territories are not covered fully by the Constitution, Congress can do exactly that to Puerto Rico.
It may sound sensible to say that we should not focus on statehood, but on improving Puerto Rico’s economy. However er, statehood is the only option that guarantees equal rights to U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. As a state, Puerto Rico would have a level playing field and would — like all the territories which have become states before us — be more prosperous. SNAP for the state of Puerto Rico would not cost more than for other states, once Puerto Rico reached the level of prosperity seen among states. Let your legislators know that Puerto Rico statehood is important to you. When an issue is important to voters, it is important to the representatives in Congress, too.
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