SNAP

WALL STREET JOURNAL ED BOARD April 11, 2018 A common refrain from businesses is that they can’t find enough workers. The unemployment rate is a low 4.1%, but one reason for the shortage are government benefits that corrode a culture of work. So credit to House Republicans for trying to fix disincentives in food stamps amid what are sure to be nasty and dishonest attacks. House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway on Thursday will introduce a farm bill, though food stamps absorb much of the cost. Mo... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition held a hearing examining pathways available to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to improve their education and labor force involvement and aim for independence. Subcommittee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) and members heard from witnesses on career pathway approaches available to work-capable SNAP recipients for them to move up the economic ladder and out of poverty. “Stable employment is ess... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition held a hearing to evaluate technology and modernization in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson and members of the committee heard from a variety of witnesses on the ways technology and modernization improve the customer experience, streamline delivery of services and ease administrative burden. This hearing is a continuation of the committee’s hearing series ... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) welcomed newly-confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sec. Sonny Perdue to Capitol Hill to testify on the “State of the Rural Economy.” Following the hearing, Chairman Conaway made the below statement: “Against the backdrop of a four-year, 50-percent decline in net farm income, Sec. Perdue’s comments today rightly recognized the concern of America’s farmers and ranchers and the many challenges face... Read more

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Nutrition, held a hearing to discuss the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the hearing series to set the stage for the next farm bill. During the 114th Congress, the committee completed a comprehensive review of SNAP—known as the Past, Present, and Future of SNAP—which helped members gain a better understanding of the program and the po... Read more

Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning, and welcome to today’s Nutrition Subcommittee hearing on the future of SNAP. This hearing continues the Committee’s series to review current policy and set the stage for the next farm bill. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to be here, particularly our five witnesses for their participation and respective insights. The House Committee on Agriculture completed a comprehensive review of SNAP during the 114th Congress. Known as the Past, Prese... Read more

Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to explore the implications of restricting what can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Members of the committee heard from a panel of witnesses who discussed the challenges of implementing product restrictions, the need for encouraging healthy purchasing habits, and the role that incentives and nutrition education can play in changing consumer behavior. “Nearly 43 million Americans ... Read more

Remarks as prepared for delivery: I want to welcome our witnesses to today’s hearing and thank them for taking the time to share their views on a very timely and somewhat sensitive topic—the idea of restricting SNAP purchases. This hearing is a continuation of the conversation had in a Member roundtable last October. There are good arguments to be made on both sides of this issue, and this discussion will be yet another addition to the Committee’s commitment to strengthening the Supplemental Nut... Read more

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) unveiled a new report summarizing the committee’s two-year review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Committee members heard from 60 witnesses in 16 hearings over the course of the review known as the Past, Present, and Future of SNAP. The report can be viewed here. SNAP has grown from a pilot program that served just 500,000 people in 1964 to a program that served more than 47 million ... Read more

Remarks as prepared for delivery: Over the course of the 114th Congress, we have heard from 55 witnesses at 15 different hearings in our series on the Past, Present and Future of SNAP. We have heard from witnesses discussing their experiences as SNAP recipients, from state agencies implementing SNAP across the country, from charitable partners that work with SNAP recipients, from innovative organizations receiving SNAP funding to help improve and target SNAP programs, from retailers who sell foo... Read more