September 12, 2024

Warren, Hayes, Bicameral Lawmakers Renew Push to Address Food Insecurity Among College Students by Introducing the Student Food Security Act of 2024

The legislation, which is supported by 80 organizations, would make SNAP benefits that were temporarily expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic permanent and provide other supports for students' basic needs.

Bill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture, along with Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Student Food Security Act of 2024, bicameral legislation to address food insecurity faced by college students across America. 

College students often face strict limits on their ability to access and use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits unless they meet certain conditions, such as working more than 20 hours per week or having young children. These barriers ignore the reality of the college student population, a majority of whom are students older than 25 and independent from their parents who are often juggling school, work, and family responsibilities. 

The Student Food Security Act of 2024 would support students facing food insecurity by expanding eligibility for SNAP, allowing students to use SNAP benefits at on-campus dining facilities, increasing outreach by federal and state agencies to food-insecure students, and establishing an annual grant program to aid colleges and universities in better identifying and serving students with food and housing needs.

According to a recent survey, nearly 40% of community college students are food insecure, over half are housing insecure, and 18% have experienced homelessness. These factors negatively impact student success and graduation rates. A 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report further revealed that nearly 3.8 million college students may face food insecurity, risking their college completion and undermining federal and state investments in higher education. The GAO report found that almost 60% of potentially eligible students were not enrolled in SNAP, highlighting how current eligibility requirements are leaving food-insecure students behind.

“Students shouldn’t have to go to class hungry. As the costs of college continue to rise, far too many students are left struggling to meet their basic needs,” said Senator Warren. “This bill will ensure that college students are not forced to decide between paying tuition and putting food on the table.” 

“For too long, students at colleges and universities have suffered food insecurity without proper support from federal and state governments. As we work to end hunger, it is crucial we invest in programs that provide college students with access to healthy, nutritious meals so they can succeed in the classroom and beyond,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “College students in my district and nationwide have asked for our help, and it is time we delivered. The Student Food Security Act is a comprehensive proposal to address food insecurity among college students by expanding access to SNAP, investing in outreach programs to meet students where they are, and investing $1 billion annually to ensure colleges and universities have the tools they need to help house and feed students in need.”

“College students shouldn’t have to choose between buying their textbooks or affording their next meal,” said Senator Padilla. “Permanently expanding nutritional assistance and access to basic needs for college students is vital to ensuring young people juggling work, family life, and financial insecurity can still succeed in higher education.”

“Students aren’t learning when they’re missing meals or living without stable housing,” said Senator Murphy. “Too often, college students, many of whom are also working or supporting a family, can’t pay rent or have to skip meals because they are trying to make ends meet while paying thousands for tuition and textbooks every semester. If we want these students to succeed, it's on us to make sure they have the basics to do so. Our legislation would expand SNAP eligibility requirements and help universities better address food and housing insecurity so students can focus on their education without having to making these unfair sacrifices.”

“Getting a degree should be a chance to build a better future, not struggle for survival,” said Senator Fetterman. “But for too many college students—especially those attending community colleges and minority-serving institutions—worrying about their next meal is part of everyday life. This bill is about making sure no student has to choose between feeding themselves and getting an education. By expanding SNAP and giving colleges more tools to support their students, we’re investing in a stronger future for our young people and our country.” 

“Students should be able to focus on their education without constantly making tough choices between the costs of housing, food, healthcare, or their education. As college expenses continue to rise, it is disheartening to see the sacrifices students are making, including going hungry or homeless, just to go to college. The Student Food Security Act will confront the issue of hunger among college students by broadening federal food assistance eligibility, establishing a grant program to support students with institution-driven programs, and instructing the Department of Education to gather data on food and housing insecurity,” said Congresswoman Torres. “As a mother and grandmother, this is personal for me and that's why I created a federal funding stream that has already delivered over $29 million to help colleges address student hunger. I want to see more students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, receive these benefits and aspire to seek higher education and that's exactly what this bill will do.”

Specifically, the Student Food Security Act:

  1. Increases the SNAP eligibility of low-income college students by expanding eligibility to students who qualify for work study, have a $0 Student Aid Index, meet the financial eligibility criteria for a maximum Pell Grant (even if they have not filed the FAFSA), or are an independent student whose household is otherwise eligible. This would make permanent an expansion of SNAP eligibility that was first enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Increases outreach to eligible students by directing the U.S. Department of Education to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and other relevant agencies to notify students they may be eligible for benefits when they file their application for federal student aid.
  3. Requires the Department of Education to collect data on food and housing insecurity.
  4. Creates a SNAP student hunger demonstration program to allow students to use their SNAP benefits at on-campus dining facilities at up to ten institutions.
  5. Establishes a $1 billion per year grant program to help institutions of higher education identify and meet the basic needs of their students, such as food, housing, childcare, etc. Grants can be used for research, planning, and implementation of strategies—educating students on federal, state, local, and tribal assistance programs. Institutions with increased numbers of Pell Grant recipients will be prioritized. At least 25% of grants must go to community colleges, and at least 25% must go to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other Minority-Serving Institutions.

The Student Food Security Act of 2024 has been co-sponsored by Senators Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, John Fetterman, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

In the House, Representatives Alma Adams, PhD. (D-N.C.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Troy Carter (D-La.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Ala.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), David Trone (D-Md.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) are co-sponsors of the bill.

The Student Food Security Act of 2024 is endorsed by 80 organizations, including: The Hope Center at Temple University, End Hunger Connecticut!, Connecticut Foodshare, Alliance to End Hunger, National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Center for Science in the Public Interest, Feeding America, Bread for the World, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Institute for Higher Education Policy, New America Higher Education Program, National Center on Housing and Child Welfare, SchoolHouse Connection, Swipe Out Hunger, University of California, UC Student Association, California Association of Food Banks, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), MAZON, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), National Women's Law Center, Hunger Free America, The Education Trust, The Institute for College Access & Success, New Mexico Basic Needs Consortium, Nourish Colorado, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, GRACE/End Child Poverty California, University of California, Irvine, Oregon Student Association, Hildreth Institute, One Family, The Open Door, uAspire, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Hunger Free Vermont, Food for People, NJPIRG Students, William E. Morris Institute for Justice, Linn-Benton Community College, Young Invincibles, Vermont Foodbank, The Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP) at SNHU, California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy, River City Food Bank, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Alchemist Community Development Corporation, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, University of California, Santa Cruz, National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Basic Needs Oregon, Portland Community College, San Diego Hunger Coalition, American Council on Education (ACE), Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, and Nourish California. 

The bill is also endorsed by over a dozen organizations in Massachusetts, including: Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges; Project Bread; Massachusetts Law Reform Institute; The Greater Boston Food Bank; The MA Hunger Free Campus Coalition; MASSPIRG Students; Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and all 15 Massachusetts community colleges (Bristol, Bunker Hill, Cape Cod, Holyoke, MassBay, Massasoit, Middlesex, North Shore, Northern Essex, Quinsigamond, Roxbury, Springfield Technical, Berkshire, Greenfield, and Mt. Wachusett).

"Students attending our community colleges already are faced with challenges in finding time for their academics. Imagine having to also worry about where your next meal will come from, or whether or not you have a reliable roof over your head, or how you will afford the necessary medical care without insurance,” said Nate Mackinnon, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. “With this legislation, the basic needs of students who are most vulnerable will become far less of a barrier, allowing them to instead focus on their desire to earn a degree." 

“This bill is an investment in the future. The learners of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and if those students are wondering where their next meal is going to come from, it can be exceptionally difficult to focus on their studies,” said Sean Simonini, MASSPIRG Students Statewide Vice Chair and UMass Lowell student leader. “That is why MASSPIRG students are proud to join the fight to end hunger on college campuses.” 

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