U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, wants Congress to spend more than $1.8 billion on food for elderly Americans this winter.
She said one in 12 New York seniors faced food insecurity in 2022.
The money would fund the Older Americans Act Nutrition Services Program, which supports organizations like Meals on Wheels.
“Amid the high grocery prices and the growing demand for nutrition programs, nearly $2 billion will help deliver 251 million meals and allow 2.2 million older adults to get the nutrition they need,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand sent a letter to budget appropriators in the House and Senate to request the money. Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro (D), who is the ranking member on House Aprops, will receive the letter.
When asked what the government would have to do to solve food insecurity long-term, Gillibrand responded, “higher wages.”
“Expecting people to work 40, 50, 60 hours a week and still live in poverty results in older adults who are in poverty,” Gillibrand said. “So you either have to create a living wage, you either have to create a society that looks after our most vulnerable, or the government's gonna have to pick up the slack. It's one or the other.”