Senator Reverend Warnock helped lead the bipartisan reintroduction of the Military Family Nutrition Access Act

The bill would support active-duty military families experiencing food insecurity.

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Military Family Nutrition Access Act, which will improve access to federal nutrition assistance for military members and make sure our servicemembers and their families have more than enough food on the table”

Washington D.C. — U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined a bipartisan group of senators in reintroducing the Military Family Nutrition Access Act — to support active-duty military families experiencing food insecurity. The Military Family Nutrition Access Act would address this critical issue by excluding Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)—a subset of military compensation intended to cover the costs of off-base housing—from income calculations used to determine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility. This would ensure SNAP mirrors other federal assistance programs that already exclude BAH to determine eligibility, such as Head Start, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. In July 2022, a study by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) found that at least 24% of active-duty military—approximately 286,000 individuals—experience food insecurity.

“Our servicemembers and their families make tremendous sacrifices to defend our freedoms, which is why it is shameful that members of our military experience food insecurity,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “A lack of access to food undermines our military’s readiness and is a disservice to those who so honorably serve. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Military Family Nutrition Access Act, which will improve access to federal nutrition assistance for military members and make sure our servicemembers and their families have more than enough food on the table.”

A stalwart champion for Georgia’s veterans, military families and servicemembers, Senator Warnock has been actively working with members of both parties to strengthen federal support for Georgia’s military communities. In the most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Senator Warnock secured numerous priorities for Georgia in the bill, including bolstering affordable military housing options and raising servicemember pay. Senator Warnock helped to pass the PACT Act in 2022, the largest expansion of veterans’ health benefits in decades. Additionally, in 2021, Senator Warnock successfully included a bipartisan provision in the FY22 NDAA to direct the DoD to collect important data related to military spouse employment and the challenges they face. 

A fact sheet on the bill can be found here. 

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