WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), today pushed Amazon and Walmart to waive delivery fees and minimum order requirements for orders placed by customers using Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps.
As the nation continues to commit to social distancing—which includes avoiding coming within six feet of other people—Americans are increasingly turning to grocery delivery services to avoid other people in crowded grocery stores. However, the cost of using these services, including fees and minimum order requirements, make delivery services unaffordable for many food insecure families, who are then left with no option but to shop in person and potentially expose themselves to the virus.
“We acknowledge the efforts of Amazon and Walmart in making their grocery delivery services available to families that rely on purchasing groceries with SNAP EBT,” the senators wrote. “Taking into account the advantages that grocery delivery services provided by Amazon and Walmart will provide to aid in social distancing, we ask that Amazon and Walmart eliminate any minimum order requirements or delivery fees for families who rely on SNAP EBT benefits for groceries to make this service more widely available for low-income Americans during this pandemic.”
“No one should have to decide whether to apportion more money on groceries or to risk their public health. The health impact of containing COVID-19 continues to be monitored, but the social and economic impacts of containing the novel coronavirus can be addressed by large companies such as yours taking commonsense action,” the senators continued.
Senator Merkley has long used his position as the top Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the SNAP program, to help ensure food insecure families receive the help they need to keep food on the table. Last month, the Senator announced that he successfully secured a requirement for the USDA to once again provide summer benefits to Oregonians through SNAP’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program—which provides summer meals for children—after the Trump administration provided no justification for failing to provide the support last year.
The full text of the letter is available here and follows below.
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In light of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic, and the danger that its spread poses to public health, we write to urge your company to eliminate minimum order requirements and delivery fees for Amazon Fresh and Walmart purchases ordered using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefits Transfer (SNAP EBT). This measure will give low-income families in Alabama, Arizona, California, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, and Washington the ability to purchase groceries without the burden of spending more than a family can afford in order to limit community exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic has sickened hundreds of thousands of Americans, and has resulted in thousands of deaths. The number of cases in the United States has skyrocketed, affecting nearly every state in the country. As the situation evolves, we must respond by taking actions to mitigate the spread of the virus and the economic consequences of the pandemic felt by families and the vulnerable. As the pandemic has intensified, the importance of social distancing has become clear in stopping the community spread of COVID-19 to maintain public health.
We acknowledge the efforts of Amazon and Walmart in making their grocery delivery services available to families that rely on purchasing groceries with SNAP EBT. Taking into account the advantages that grocery delivery services provided by Amazon and Walmart will provide to aid in social distancing, we ask that Amazon and Walmart eliminate any minimum order requirements or delivery fees for families who rely on SNAP EBT benefits for groceries to make this service more widely available for low-income Americans during this pandemic. This should include reserving a portion of delivery times for SNAP recipients who face additional barriers, including transportation, to accessing food.
No one should have to decide whether to apportion more money on groceries or to risk their public health. The health impact of containing COVID-19 continues to be monitored, but the social and economic impacts of containing the novel coronavirus can be addressed by large companies such as yours taking commonsense action.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
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