Bill filed in Congress to transition Puerto Rico from PAN to SNAP

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said that for “us Puerto Ricans, the issue of the transition from the PAN program to the SNAP program is vital.”

By THE STAR STAFF

Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera and Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced the filing of a bill in Congress on Wednesday to transition Puerto Rico from the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN by its acronym in Spanish) to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with bipartisan support.

“The SNAP program would provide more funding for people who currently receive the PAN, and this is a bipartisan bill supported by Democratic and Republican members of Congress,” Hernández Rivera said at a press conference. “It’s a bill supported by Governor Jenniffer González Colón, who honors me with her presence today. It’s a bill that recognizes that hunger has no zip code, that hunger has no partisan affiliation, that hunger is neither Democrat nor Republican, neither Popular [Democratic] Party nor NPP [New Progressive Party], but rather a problem that deserves to be addressed and solved.”

González Colón added that for “us Puerto Ricans, the issue of the transition from the PAN program to the SNAP program is vital.”

“This is not an issue that divides the resident commissioner and me as governor. This was part of our party’s governing platform, and, as resident commissioner, we continually filed this same bill,” she noted. “The only provision that has changed, and which we agree with the commissioner on in this bill, is that it adds, instead of five years, the transition period from the government of Puerto Rico to this program to 10 years, which would allow for a balanced transition for the federal government.”

The governor pointed out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended in 2022 a 10-year transition scenario that would not increase federal costs associated with short-term budgetary pressures over that timeframe. She added that her administration is moving forward on technology, processes and training to meet the program’s requirements.

The resident commissioner maintained that the measure seeks greater equity for families currently receiving the PAN program and that the supporting coalition includes members of Congress from both parties.

Both officials emphasized that the proposal requires federal legislation to be implemented and called on the public and private sectors to support the transition with the objective of expanding access to and quality of nutritional assistance on the island.