Connecticut Lawmakers Push $40M SNAP Backup for 36,000 at Risk

Connecticut Lawmakers Rally for $40 Million State SNAP Program

Connecticut lawmakers and advocates gathered at the state Capitol on March 17 to push for Senate Bill 497, a proposal that would use $40 million from the state's Federal Cuts Response Fund to create a temporary state-run food assistance program for residents losing access to federal SNAP benefits.

The bill, advanced by the legislature's Human Services Committee, would provide one year of food assistance to vulnerable populations — including veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults aging out of the foster care system — who are now subject to new federal work requirements that took effect in December. The Connecticut Department of Social Services estimates that approximately 36,000 state residents could be removed from SNAP as a result of those requirements.

Sen. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), co-chair of the Human Services Committee, has been a leading voice for the proposal. "The state needs to step in and help," Lesser said at the Capitol rally.

Funding Would Come From State's Emergency Reserve

The $40 million proposed for the food program would be drawn from Connecticut's Federal Cuts Response Fund — a $500 million emergency reserve the General Assembly created in November 2025 to protect state programs from federal spending cuts. Prior allocations had reduced the available balance to approximately $330 million as of early February 2026.

Lawmakers are also considering a separate $200 million trust fund to sustain enhanced health insurance subsidies through Access Health Connecticut, the state's insurance marketplace. That allocation would help maintain reduced premiums and expanded eligibility for residents who benefit from the state's insurance exchange.

Coralys Santana, campaign manager for the Connecticut Project Action Fund, urged lawmakers to act quickly. "We can't food bank our way out of this crisis," Santana said at the rally. The Middletown-based advocacy group has pushed for systemic state-level solutions as food pantries face increased demand.

Implementation Poses Logistical Challenges

Connecticut Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves raised practical concerns about standing up a state-run SNAP system on short notice. According to NBC Connecticut, Reeves said such a program would require significant new infrastructure, including electronic benefit transfer (EBT) terminals, benefit cards, and fraud prevention systems — all of which take time and resources to build.

Connecticut does not currently operate its own food assistance program independent of the federal SNAP framework, making the administrative undertaking substantial.

As of March 17, Senate Bill 497 had not yet received a vote. Lawmakers have not released a timeline for committee action or a floor vote, but advocates are pressing for approval before additional federal benefit reductions take effect.

Federal Cuts Driving State Action

The push for state-level food assistance comes amid a broader rollback of federal safety net programs. The federal work requirements that took effect in December were part of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which imposed stricter eligibility rules for SNAP recipients. Connecticut is one of several states weighing whether to use state funds to fill the resulting gap.

Gov. Ned Lamont's administration previously secured $3 million in emergency funding for Connecticut Foodshare in October 2025 as a stopgap during earlier SNAP disruptions. Senate Bill 497 would represent a far larger and more structured state intervention.

Middletown's Connecticut Project Action Fund and other advocates continue to press for a swift vote, arguing that food pantries and emergency food providers cannot absorb the demand that would result from 36,000 residents losing federal benefits.

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