Food Access Must Be on the Ballot: What D.C.’s Next Mayor Must Do to End Hunger
June 8, 2026
As the District of Columbia enters a new mayoral election cycle, voters will hear candidates discuss public safety, housing affordability, economic development, education, and transportation. These issues matter deeply. But there is another issue that affects every resident of D.C. and deserves a central place in the debate: hunger.
Food insecurity is not a side issue. It is a public health issue. It is an economic issue. It is a racial equity issue. It is a District-wide issue.
For thousands of District residents, food insecurity is an everyday challenge. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 report, more than 10 percent of households in the District of Columbia experienced low or very low food security between 2022 and 2024. At a time when families are already struggling to make ends meet, federal cuts and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) following H.R. 1 threaten to increase food insecurity across the District. Additionally, as the District begins the process of implementing new SNAP time limits (i.e., work requirements) for the first time in almost three decades, an estimated 8,000-13,000 residents could lose access to SNAP benefits. It is critical that the next mayor is responsive and committed to addressing hunger, poverty, and its root causes as they will inherit a food security landscape shaped by rising food costs, persistent inequities in food access, and significant federal threats to nutrition assistance programs.
D.C. has long demonstrated that local leadership can make a difference when federal policy falls short. Addressing hunger and strengthening the District’s food system will require bold action on multiple fronts, from protecting nutrition assistance programs to expanding access to affordable, healthy food in every neighborhood.
Protect SNAP and Ensure Residents Maintain Access to Benefits
SNAP remains one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in the nation. It supports working families, improves health outcomes, and strengthens local economies. As federal changes have cut $187 billion to SNAP across the nation, District leaders must be prepared to respond.
Protecting SNAP means ensuring eligible residents can most importantly, successfully access and maintain benefits. Too many households experience “churn,” or losing assistance because of administrative barriers, paperwork challenges, or communication issues, only to reapply shortly afterward. These disruptions create unnecessary hardship and increase administrative costs.
To circumvent this, it will be critical for the incoming administration to support Department of Human Services with modernizing technology systems, simplified renewal processes, targeted outreach, and community-based enrollment assistance to ensure residents receive the benefits for which they qualify.
The District also faces the challenge of addressing the “hunger cliff” experienced by some working families, where increases in earnings can be accompanied by reductions in benefits that leave households financially strained. Although SNAP benefit levels are largely set by federal policy through the Thrifty Food Plan, District leadership has the options to fund supplemental benefits through legislation such as Give SNAP a Raise to address the realities of the District’s high cost of living.
As the next administration sets its priorities, consideration must be given to policies that support both economic mobility and food security, helping ensure that residents are not forced to choose which basic needs must be met first.
At the same time, local leaders must be prepared to fill gaps created by federal retrenchment. Several mayoral candidates have recognized the need for the District to expand local food assistance programs to support residents who may lose access to federal benefits, including asylees, refugees, and other vulnerable populations. Stable local investments, not just emergency responses, will be critical if federal support continues to erode.
Treat Food Access as a Public Health Priority
The next administration must recognize food security as a cornerstone of public health.
Access to nutritious food is directly connected to rates of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic conditions that disproportionately affect communities with limited food access. Candidates have proposed expanding innovative approaches such as medically tailored meals, nutrition support services, produce prescription programs, and other “food as medicine” strategies that connect healthcare and nutrition.
These approaches recognize a simple reality: improving access to healthy food is often one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to improve health outcomes.
As healthcare costs continue to rise, the District should explore every opportunity, including federal waivers and partnerships, to invest in nutrition-based interventions that improve health while reducing long-term costs.
Make Grocery Access East of the River a Defining Priority
For decades, residents east of the Anacostia River have faced barriers to accessing affordable, healthy food. While progress has been made, significant gaps remain. The next mayor should make expanding and sustaining full-service grocery stores east of the river a defining priority of their administration.
Sustainable solutions require long-term planning and investment.
Several candidates have proposed strategies that deserve serious consideration, including increasing locally funded incentives tied to long-term affordability requirements, streamlining permitting processes, utilizing District-owned land, offering below-market leases, and pairing food retail investments with transportation improvements, workforce development initiatives, and public safety strategies.
Success should be measured not simply by whether a store opens, but whether residents have reliable, long-term access to fresh produce, healthy foods, and affordable grocery options years later. The District should also continue supporting community-based food enterprises, local food businesses, and neighborhood-serving retailers that understand and reflect the communities they serve.
Center Affordability, Culture, and Transportation
Food access is about much more than geography. A grocery store is only useful if residents can afford the food inside it.
Food prices have continued to rise, placing additional strain on families already balancing housing, childcare, healthcare, and transportation costs. Affordability must be at the center of every food access conversation.
The incoming administration must also ensure that food system investments reflect the District’s cultural diversity. Residents deserve access to foods that meet their cultural, religious, and dietary preferences. Communities should have a meaningful voice in shaping food access solutions and determining what success looks like in their neighborhoods.
Transportation must also remain part of the conversation. For many residents, especially seniors, people with disabilities, and households without reliable vehicles, transportation can be the difference between having access to healthy food and going without. Investments in transit connectivity, neighborhood-based food access points, and community food infrastructure should be viewed as essential components of a comprehensive food strategy.
Investing in the Local Food System
Addressing hunger and food insecurity requires more than good intentions; it requires sustained investment. As the District faces growing needs and ongoing budget challenges, the next mayor must be willing to pursue revenue solutions that protect and strengthen programs that help residents meet their basic needs.
Investments in nutrition assistance, grocery access, local food infrastructure, and community-based food programs like Grocery Plus, Produce Rx, and Joyful Food Markets are essential to public health, workforce participation, and economic stability. The District cannot afford to allow budget constraints to undermine progress on hunger at a time when food costs remain high, and more families are struggling to make ends meet.
The next administration must work with the Council to identify equitable and sustainable revenue options that preserve critical services and create dedicated funding streams for food security initiatives. Stable funding can help ensure that programs supporting food access are not forced to compete year after year against other urgent priorities. If the District is serious about becoming a city where everyone has access to healthy, affordable food, it must be equally serious about generating the resources necessary to make that vision a reality.
Positioning D.C. as a National Leader for Food Systems Success
The District has an opportunity to become a national model for what a comprehensive local food security strategy can look like. But that will require leadership, investment, and a willingness to treat food access as the fundamental issue that it is. As mayoral candidates make their case to voters, D.C. Food Forum Coalition urges them to answer a simple but important question: What is your plan to ensure every District resident can access the food they need to thrive?
The incoming administration must be prepared to protect SNAP, prevent a hunger cliff, strengthen local food assistance programs, improve health through nutrition, and finally close longstanding food access gaps east of the river.
The future of a healthier, more equitable District depends on it!
Candidates appearing on the June 16 primary ballot responded to the questionnaire, offering their ideas and proposed solutions. Read their responses in more detail here.