Monday, November 10, 2025

Tarr in the News: Tarr Advocates for SNAP Relief


TARR IN THE NEWS | 11.05.25

'State pressured to tap reserves for SNAP benefits'

By Christian Wade | CNHI Statehouse Reporter | Gloucester Daily Times

EXCERPT BELOW:

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"Last week, the Legislature’s Republican minority called for a carve-out in a supplemental budget being considered by a six-member legislative panel to provide state funding for SNAP recipients who stand to lose benefits.

In a letter to the conference committee members, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr of Gloucester asked the panel to allocate state money for SNAP benefit payments and seek reimbursement from the federal government when full SNAP funding resumes.

“This request protects the most vulnerable in the commonwealth, prevents immediate administrative and humanitarian crises, and preserves the commonwealth’s ability to be reimbursed by the federal government once funding resumes,” the GOP lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers noted that other states have allocated funding to offset the impact from a freeze on SNAP funding, and that Massachusetts has provided more than $2 billion for the state’s emergency shelter system to help cover the cost of providing for an influx of migrants over the past two years.

“Given that precedent, a time-limited appropriation to sustain SNAP benefits is a modest and defensible use of one-time funds,” the lawmakers wrote."

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Read the full article:

https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../article_6646b728-5b5c...