Rep. Vasquez Introduces Bill to Cut Red Tape and Feed Our Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On February 4, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) introduced the Feed Our Veterans Act to cut red tape imposed under the Republican tax law and ensure no veteran is forced to go hungry after serving their country.
For decades, federal law recognized the value of military service by exempting veterans from SNAP work requirements. This allowed our veterans — many of whom live with service-related health conditions which limit their ability to work — to use food assistance to feed themselves or their families after they worked hard to protect our American freedoms.
However, under the Republican tax law, the 8% of veterans nationwide who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) face new work requirements in order to keep their benefits beyond three months.
“Our veterans have worked hard to protect our freedoms, and when they come back home, we have a responsibility to take care of them, especially if their service has led to health conditions that limit their ability to work,” said Vasquez. “Requiring veterans to prove they are hard workers is insulting, and cutting off access to a critical program like SNAP for our heroes is a mistake. I’m proud to be leading the push to fix it.”
During negotiations on the Republican tax law, Representative Vasquez and House Democrats urged Speaker Johnson and Agriculture Committee leaders to reject harmful SNAP cuts that would strain families, hurt local food economies, and undermine a bipartisan Farm Bill. Rep. Vasquez also introduced the Farm and Family Relief Act to protect family farmers and delay SNAP cost-shifts that would push new costs onto states and put food assistance at risk.
This bill is co-led by Representatives Josh Riley (NY-19) and Adam Gray (CA-13) and endorsed by more than a dozen national New Mexico organization including the American Ex-Prisoners of War, American Latino Veterans Association, Food Research and Action Center, Feeding New York State, Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance, League of United Latin American Citizens, Minority Veterans of America, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Roadrunner Food Bank, Service Women’s Action Network, Student Veterans of America, Vet Voice Foundation, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Women Veterans ROCK!.
“Our veterans have put everything on the line for this country. The least we can do is make sure they never have to wonder where their next meal is coming from,” said Rep. Riley. “But the Big Ugly Bill would rip away food from veterans over paperwork technicalities, mistakes, and missed forms. That’s wrong. The bipartisan Feed Our Veterans Act cuts the red tape so our veterans can keep food on the table.”
"No veteran should have to go through a needlessly bureaucratic process challenging their work ethic just to access SNAP benefits,” said Rep. Gray. “By restoring a commonsense exemption for Veterans seeking SNAP benefits we are fulfilling our promise to care for those who served our country."
"Hunger and housing insecurity are deeply connected. Veterans struggling with unstable housing face added challenges meeting basic needs, and SNAP work requirements only make that harder,” said Kathryn Monet, CEO, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “By removing these barriers, the Feed Our Veterans Act helps protect both food security and housing stability for those who served."
“The Feed Our Veterans Act rightly restores the veteran SNAP exemption that honored service for decades,” said James Saenz, Colonel, U.S. Army (retired), President and CEO, Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance. “HVLA supports this bill to ensure veterans are not denied food assistance due to rigid work requirements that ignore the realities of military service.”
“New Mexico has a very high percentage of veterans per capita. Many families have a proud tradition of military service. Sadly, in our state, too many veterans find themselves needing food assistance. Up until recently, veterans who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were exempt from having to complete monthly work requirements. Now, the rules have been changed. Hundreds of thousands of veterans in every state will face additional hurdles preventing them from accessing SNAP,” said Dana Yost, CEO, Roadrunner Food Bank. “SNAP can provide nine times more meals than the nation’s entire charitable food bank network. When SNAP work requirements are increased, our food bank lines get longer. Roadrunner Food Bank supports reinstating the work requirement exemption for veterans. As a nation, we ask so much of our military members. We should not ask our veterans for any further service just because they need help with food.”
“At LULAC, we believe veterans have already done the hardest work this country can ask of anyone,” said Roman Palomares, National President, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “The Feed Our Veterans Act says they should not have to prove it again just to eat.”
“Our veterans have already proven their commitment to their country by putting on the uniform and serving,” said Cheryl Cerbone, President, American Ex-Prisoners of War. “Making them jump through hoops to feed their families is beneath us as a caring people.”
"Those who served our country in uniform and put their lives on the line should never have to overcome mental or physical disabilities or other barriers to working in order to eat. Especially when we're seeing soaring costs at the grocery store, it's downright cruel to subject these veterans to work requirements for SNAP benefits,” said Mary Kaszynski, Director of Government Relations, Vet Voice Foundation. "We're proud to support the Feed Our Veterans Act to ensure that veterans always have a means to get food for themselves and their families, like was always the case before last year. We applaud Representative Vasquez's leadership and urge Congress to pass this important bill expeditiously."
“Too many veterans are fighting a second battle at home, one against hunger. With nearly 1.2 million veterans who are low-income relying on SNAP, we have a responsibility to remove barriers that make it harder for them to access basic nutrition,” said Lindsay Church, Executive Director of Minority Veterans of America. “Veterans deserve a system that reflects the realities of service-connected disabilities, recovery, and reintegration. Restoring the SNAP exemption for veterans is a simple and urgently needed fix to ensure those who served are not pushed deeper into crisis by red tape.”
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