Twenty House Democrats have proposed legislation that would create a federal subsidy to help low-income families buy diapers.
Sponsors of the bill say that one out of every three families “struggle to provide diapers for their children.”
Under current law, the federal food stamp program, formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, can’t be used to buy diapers. Sponsors of the bill also say the federal welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, isn’t enough to cover diapers and other expenses.
“Families should not have to decide between diapers, food, or rent,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the lead sponsor of the bill. “With millions of families struggling to provide diapers for their children, it’s time we recognize that families are being forced to make tough decisions that affect their child’s health.”
The bill would create a “demonstration project” to let states provide diapers or diaper subsidies to low-income families. To make that change, it would amend the Social Security Act.
One of the bill’s cosponsors, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., introduced a similar bill in 2011 that would have allowed federal block grants to states to be used to fund diaper purchases for “eligible children.” That bill would have amended the Head Start Act, a law aimed at boosting school readiness among low-income children.
