Vermont advocates press House committee to fully fund SNAP administration and benefit assisters
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Summary
Advocates and retailers told the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee that federal SNAP changes and a November 2025 funding lapse threaten access and local grocery revenue; they asked lawmakers to fund SFY2027 administration and appropriate $4.95 million for benefit assisters and $500,000 for farm-targeted programs.
The Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development on Feb. 5 heard unified testimony urging the Legislature to fully fund administration of 3 Squares Vermont (the state name for SNAP) and to appropriate targeted aid for benefit assisters and farm-market incentive programs.
“For the record, my name is Ivy Enoch … I’m the director of policy and advocacy at Hunger Free Vermont,” Enoch told the committee, summarizing how 3 Squares Vermont reaches roughly 10% of Vermonters and describing the program as both a food security lifeline and an economic development tool. Enoch said federal benefit payments amount to about $12,000,000 issued directly to participants each month and recalled that a historic lapse in federal funding in November 2025 left an estimated 64,000 Vermonters and local businesses facing a shortfall.
Enoch asked lawmakers to fund the Department for Children and Families’ administrative costs for state fiscal year 2027 to offset federal changes and to appropriate $4,950,000 for benefit assisters who help Vermonters apply for SNAP and related programs. “Benefit assisters not only ensure a unified understanding of 3 Squares Vermont across the state, but actually support our state agency by helping ensure applications are completed accurately,” she said.
Retailers and local grocers backed the request. Marc Bouchat, board chair of the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association, told the committee that roughly $13,000,000 is spent monthly at Vermont food retailers through the program and that seamless EBT transactions help stabilize small stores’ razor-thin margins. “In many rural parts of Vermont, residents rely on their local grocer’s, country store for day-to-day food needs,” Bouchat said, urging continued support for the program that flows federal dollars into local economies.
Mary Malali, general manager of the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, said SNAP EBT customers spent about $400,000 at the co-op in 2025 (approximately 1.3% of sales) and argued that reduced SNAP access would ripple through local producers; she characterized SNAP as leveraging more than $150,000,000 in federal dollars in Vermont annually.
Farmers who accept incentive programs described direct business effects. Jamie Skybianko, owner of Ramble Bramble Farm, requested $500,000 in ongoing funding for Crop Cash, Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare and said Crop Cash Plus accounted for roughly 30% of her lamb and goat meat sales and 20% of her bread sales over the past two years, enabling her to hire staff and expand housing for employees.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about how funds reach smaller food shelves and how state administrative support differs from eligibility or benefit levels. Witnesses and staff emphasized that the requested money would fund processing, call centers, district office staffing, and training for benefit assisters so the Department for Children and Families can operate the program efficiently and with integrity.
The testimony repeatedly referenced recent federal policy changes. Witnesses described federal revisions to SNAP funding and administration (referred to in testimony as HR 1) that shift a greater share of administrative costs to states, effectively moving from a prior 50/50 split to a higher state contribution. Advocates said that change is a primary reason for the SFY2027 administrative-funding request.
The committee received the testimony; no formal vote or committee action was recorded during this hearing. The Legislature’s budget and appropriations process will determine whether the requested SFY2027 funds are included.
