alerts & publications

Armed Forces Members and Their Families Are Starving Because of a Disastrous Legislative Mistake

O’Melveny counsel David Lash discusses the Military Hunger Prevention Act in his latest column for Above the Law, published March 3, 2017.

The article explains that tens of thousands of armed forces members who need help accessing nutritious food for themselves and their families cannot qualify for the very effective Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps. 

“The Military Hunger Prevention Act, introduced into Congress by a bi-partisan group of members of the House of Representatives, would correct what we can only hope is an error in drafting rather than an error in judgment,” Lash writes. 

The legislation would make available to currently serving members of the United States military the food support they need to ensure relief from the hunger that poverty can bring, the article explains.

Lash serves as managing counsel for pro bono and public interest services, overseeing the firm’s national and international pro bono program. He is a frequent contributor to publications around the country and guest speaker on issues related to access to justice, legal aid, combating poverty, and more. He resides in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office.