Press Releases

 This week, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) submitted a comment letter supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule closing a loophole that extends Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or food stamps, to those who fail to meet the program’s basic eligibility requirements. Under current law, individuals can qualify for SNAP benefits based on eligibility and participation in other federal entitlement programs, despite those programs having different eligibility requirements than SNAP. The proposed USDA rule would ensure that food stamps are preserved for those with the greatest need. “Entitlement programs are one of the fastest growing parts of government spending. Today, we spend 16 times as much on welfare programs as we did in the 1960s, yet the poverty rate was the same in 2013 as it was in 1966,” Arrington wrote. “With our economy growing at historic rates, unemployment at record lows, and wages and family income rising at the fastest rate in over a decade, it would be a missed opportunity not to reform food stamp policies that too often trap people in a cycle of government dependency.” “Instead, we should incentivize our fellow citizens to realize their God-given gifts and talents and seize new opportunities that would not only benefit them, but their families and our entire economy.”  To read Congressman Arrington’s full comment letter, click here. Background:

• Currently, benefits that make individuals eligible for SNAP may be as minimal as simply providing a household with an informational brochure describing social services or access to hotline numbers.
• Under the proposed rule, a household must receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-funded cash or non-cash benefits valued at a minimum of $50 per month for at least 6 months in order to become automatically eligible for SNAP benefits.
• Non-cash benefits that could convey automatic eligibility would be restricted to subsidized employment, work supports, or childcare.
• The 60-day comment period for the proposed rule ended on September 23, 2019.
• The USDA will now take the comments received into consideration before drafting a final rule.