MONTEREY Rep. Jimmy Panetta is leading a coalition urging the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to preserve legislation that addresses food insecurity among military families. According to a press release from Panetta’s office, new data makes clear that hunger remains a persistent and widespread issue for military households despite steps taken by Congress, including the creation of the Basic Needs Allowance and the expansion of eligibility thresholds. A recent follow-up report by the RAND Corporation confirmed that 25% of active-duty personnel across all branches of the military remain food insecure, with the overwhelming majority being mid-career and junior enlisted servicemembers. “Embarrassingly, way too many of our nation’s servicemembers and their families experience food insecurity, especially with the recent uncertainty around SNAP benefits during the shutdown,” said Panetta in the press release. “As members of the U. S. Congress, the least that we can do is to address military hunger in this year’s final NDAA. That must be our responsibility for the men and women in uniform and their families who are responsible for the security of our nation,” the Democratic congressman from Carmel Valley added. A letter urging the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to preserve critical legislation in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that addresses food insecurity among military families highlights two of Panetta’s bipartisan amendments in the NDAA. The first is removing Basic Allowance for Housing from Basic Needs Allowance income calculations. Currently, the housing allowance is included in income for purposes of determining basic needs eligibility, even though this benefit is intended to offset housing costs. This structure unfairly excludes thousands of struggling servicemembers, according to the press release, from receiving nutritional support. By excluding the housing allowance from income, it can ensure that basic needs reach the personnel most in need, aligning with congressional intent according to Panetta. Second is to establish a new commissary benefit pilot program. This initiative would authorize the Pentagon to pilot a commissary coupon benefit at two military installations, helping servicemembers access affordable meals at commissaries. It also directs the Pentagon to assess the program’s impact on food security, dietary health, commissary utilization and impact on dining facilities. This measure provides a practical, immediate pathway to increasing access to nutritious food for those living on installations where dining facilities are often inadequate or inaccessible. “The Basic Needs Allowance is an innovative solution for our servicemembers who struggle to make ends meet, and Congress has an opportunity to expand access to this resource for more food insecure families in this year’s NDAA,” said Liza Leiberman, vice president of public affairs for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, in the release. “With paychecks spread thin, benefits being slashed, and soaring grocery prices, our military families are feeling the pain. Our servicemembers deserve the same respect from the federal government that they show our country every day, and Congress can free them from the economic anxiety that plagues too many American families. MAZON welcomes this bipartisan and bicameral effort to expand the (Basic Needs Allowance) and address food and nutrition security in the FY 2026 NDAA.” With a proposed defense budget of nearly $900 billion in fiscal year 2026, ensuring servicemembers and their families have reliable access to healthy meals should be both feasible and a top priority according to Panetta. Additional signers of the letter include, Roger Marshall (KS-Sen), Blake Moore (UT-1), Raphael G. Warnock (GA-Sen), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Danny Davis (IL-7), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Morgan McGarvey (KY-3), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-4), Eleanor Norton (DC-At-Large), and Josh Riley (NY-19).
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/23/rep-panetta-urges-congress-to-address-military-food-insecurity/