MLRI Applauds Funding to Upgrade Security of EBT Cards
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute applauds Governor Healey and the Massachusetts Legislature for investing in secure EBT cards to protect SNAP food benefit recipients against theft. The FY 25 supplemental budget (S.2575, item 4400-1033), signed into law this week, includes $15.5 million for the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to upgrade EBT cards with chip technology.
President Trump and Congress Strip Food and Health Insurance from Millions of Residents
For Immediate Release
For more information: Madeline Graf: mgraf@mlri.org | (857) 241-1745
President Trump and Congress Strip Food and Health Insurance from Millions of Residents
Massachusetts must marshall its resources to mitigate harm and protect its residents from the unconscionable impacts of the reconciliation bill
BOSTON, MA (July 4, 2025) – Today, President Trump signed a bill from Republicans in Congress that cuts the largest amount from food assistance and healthcare in history – all to pay for tax cuts for wealthy corporations and billionaires.
House Republicans Vote to Strip Basic Healthcare and Food Benefits From Millions of Massachusetts Residents
For Immediate Release
For more information: Madeline Graf: mgraf@mlri.org | (857) 241-1745
House Republicans Vote to Strip Basic Healthcare and Food Benefits From Millions of Massachusetts Residents
Dumping federal costs onto Massachusetts and slashing eligibility for very low-income residents will increase hunger, worsen health, and deepen poverty.
BOSTON, MA (May 23, 2025) – Early yesterday morning, Republicans in Congress voted to pass the largest cuts to food assistance and healthcare in history – all to pay for tax cuts for wealthy corporations and billionaires.
SNAP Day of Action: Federal Proposals Threaten Food Access for Millions Across the Country, Including Massachusetts and Neighboring States
CONTACT:
Project Bread: Allison Epstein, 203-915-8364 allison@teakmedia.com
MLRI: Madeline Graf, (857) 241-1745, mgraf@mlri.org
Advocates, food security organizations and partners across the Northeast rally to protect critical food benefits that support local economies and help families buy groceries.
[Massachusetts] — As Congress deliberates a budget reconciliation bill that would drastically cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, advocates across the Northeast —including Project Bread, Children’s HealthWatch, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Worcester County Food Bank, and others —have joined together to raise the alarm.
150 MA Organizations Urge Congress to Protect Safety Net from Federal Cuts
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and 149 Massachusetts organizations are standing together to call on the MA Congressional Delegation to forcefully oppose any proposals that would harm critical federal safety net programs. With Congress considering severe cuts to SNAP, Medicaid (MassHealth), and TANF through budget reconciliation, the 150 organizations urge the Delegation to protect and defend our nation’s vital anti-poverty programs, including:
Congress’s Last-Minute Compromise to Avoid a Shutdown Eliminated its Previous Agreement to Replace Food Benefits Stolen from Low-Income Families
BOSTON, MA (December 23, 2024) – Low-income families struggling to put food on the table are a major casualty of last week’s political maneuvering to avoid a government shutdown.
Since summer 2022, thousands of Massachusetts families have had their food benefits stolen through no fault of their own due to organized card-skimming schemes. SNAP benefits are particularly vulnerable to theft because the benefit cards use a magnetic stripe instead of a chip. To make matters worse, Congress in 1996 denied SNAP families the recourse available to other cardholders whose funds are stolen.
MLRI Applauds Congress For Extending Replacement of Stolen SNAP Benefits
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, President Biden signed a continuing resolution to keep the government open until late December. We applaud the resolution’s continuation of federal replacement for SNAP benefits stolen through December 20, 2024. We are grateful to our Massachusetts delegation, particularly Congressman Jim McGovern, for their leadership in Congress and focus on this critical issue.
Massachusetts FY25 Budget Includes 10% Cash Assistance Increase Starting April 2025
BOSTON, MA (July 29, 2024) – The Massachusetts FY 25 budget includes a 10 percent increase in cash assistance benefits for both TAFDC and EAEDC programs starting April 2025, marking another historic step forward for families in Deep Poverty.
This increase means that the maximum TAFDC grant for a family of three will go from $783/month to $861/month, and the EAEDC grant for an older adult or a person with disabilities will increase from $401/month to $441/month. Even with these increases, grants are still well below half of the federal poverty level – known as the Deep Poverty level – which is $1,076 a month for a family of three in 2024.