Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Sen. John Fetterman<\/a> thinks that everyone should enjoy a hot rotisserie chicken. And he\u2019s not alone. <\/p>\n Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, which would make the hot food eligible for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.<\/p>\n SNAP provides Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that function as a debit card for low-income households. The cards can be used for \u201cstaple foods,\u201d like vegetables, meats, and breads, that are usually prepared at home to make a meal, according<\/a> to<\/a> the U.S. Department of Agriculture. <\/p>\n Prepared or heated foods don\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n But anyone who has grabbed a hot chicken when they\u2019re running low on groceries (or time) can tell you that it can be made into many meals.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica\u2019s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco\u2019s $4.99 rotisserie chicken … it\u2019s one of my family\u2019s favorites and I\u2019m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try,\u201d Fetterman said in a statement, referencing Sen. Jim Justice (R., W. Va.), the bill\u2019s lead sponsor. <\/p>\n Fetterman is one of three cosponsors, along with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W. Va.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.).<\/p>\n \u201cSNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation\u2019s families who need it,\u201d Fetterman said. <\/p>\n Current SNAP rules allow cooked rotisserie chickens to be bought with benefits if they have been cooled down, according to the legislators.<\/p>\n The bill is laser-focused on hot rotisserie chicken. It would change the definition of food in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to include the food item, but it would not add any other hot foods.<\/p>\n Fetterman is a co-sponsor on a separate bill<\/a> that would allow hot foods and hot prepared foods more broadly. That bill was introduced by members of the Democratic caucus last March and has not moved forward.<\/p>\n