House Ag, Ways and Means subcommittees hold hearing on SNAP and work
June 26, 2015 |12:54 PM
The House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee and the House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee held a hearing on the food stamp program Thursday at which Republican leaders said they are interested in the ways food stamps — now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — intersects with other federal programs.
But Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the ranking member on the nutrition subcommittee, urged Congress to “do a better job in fighting hunger and poverty.”
The hearing was entitled “Past, Present and Future of SNAP: How Our Welfare System Can Discourage Work.”
A series of social policy experts and analysts discussed their views on welfare.
“As the Agriculture Committee continues its full-scale SNAP review … it is important to fully understand the role SNAP plays within the larger picture of federal welfare programs and ensure proper coordination,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said.
“Our welfare system is vital in providing assistance to millions of vulnerable citizens, but as we heard today, it often acts as more of a trap than a safety net,” Conaway said.
“Helping able-bodied recipients re-enter and remain in the workforce must be a primary objective of these programs, as employment is what makes climbing the economic ladder possible. Our policies must encourage and reward that work.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said: “Today, we have a safety net that catches people falling into poverty — and often traps them there.”
“What we need is a safety net that lifts people out of poverty, so they can support themselves,” Ryan said. “We need to rethink how to promote opportunity in this country, and I think this hearing made a great contribution to our work.”
House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee Chairwoman Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., added: “The day a worker is offered a raise or a promotion should be a happy one, not one that causes anxiety.”
“Sadly, though, we heard firsthand today about the painful reality of federal welfare programs in America: recipients are deterred from earning more income because of structural disincentives that can cause the loss in benefits to outweigh the gain in income,” Walorski said.
House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, R-La., said, “This hearing showed that promoting work is the real key to helping people avoid poverty.”
In an opening statement, McGovern said “we can and must do a better job in fighting hunger and poverty,” but he signaled he has ideas different from the Republicans.
McGovern noted that he has called for seven years for a White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Hunger to “connect the dots” between hunger and programs to reduce it.
“And while we all want to encourage work — let’s state for the record — a majority of those on SNAP are kids, elderly and the disabled. They are not expected to work. Of those who are expected to work, more than half do work. Among those who work, 58 percent worked full time for six months or more after receiving SNAP.
“The real problem is that those who work earn so little that they are still eligible for the [SNAP] program,” McGovern said. “I believe that if you work in this country, you ought not to live in poverty. Where’s the outrage over lousy wages?”
“This is a complex problem. Some members of Congress are more interested in a campaign bumper sticker or a sound bite for cable TV,” he added.
“American families deserve more. If members of Congress really care about helping struggling families, we should have a real debate about the ways we can help them get on their feet and stay there.
McGovern noted there have been suggestions of lowering marginal tax rates, but he said the easy way to accomplish that is “to extend phase-out ranges for programs besides SNAP, which I’m sure some of my Republican friends are not fine with because it will cost more.”
“These ideas make me nervous about what the majority is up to,” McGovern said.
“Everyone at today’s hearing should think carefully about the consequences of such reckless approaches to the very programs that are essential to helping America’s most vulnerable families get on a path to the middle class.”
But Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the ranking member on the nutrition subcommittee, urged Congress to “do a better job in fighting hunger and poverty.”
The hearing was entitled “Past, Present and Future of SNAP: How Our Welfare System Can Discourage Work.”
A series of social policy experts and analysts discussed their views on welfare.
“As the Agriculture Committee continues its full-scale SNAP review … it is important to fully understand the role SNAP plays within the larger picture of federal welfare programs and ensure proper coordination,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said.
“Our welfare system is vital in providing assistance to millions of vulnerable citizens, but as we heard today, it often acts as more of a trap than a safety net,” Conaway said.
“Helping able-bodied recipients re-enter and remain in the workforce must be a primary objective of these programs, as employment is what makes climbing the economic ladder possible. Our policies must encourage and reward that work.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said: “Today, we have a safety net that catches people falling into poverty — and often traps them there.”
“What we need is a safety net that lifts people out of poverty, so they can support themselves,” Ryan said. “We need to rethink how to promote opportunity in this country, and I think this hearing made a great contribution to our work.”
House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee Chairwoman Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., added: “The day a worker is offered a raise or a promotion should be a happy one, not one that causes anxiety.”
“Sadly, though, we heard firsthand today about the painful reality of federal welfare programs in America: recipients are deterred from earning more income because of structural disincentives that can cause the loss in benefits to outweigh the gain in income,” Walorski said.
House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, R-La., said, “This hearing showed that promoting work is the real key to helping people avoid poverty.”
In an opening statement, McGovern said “we can and must do a better job in fighting hunger and poverty,” but he signaled he has ideas different from the Republicans.
McGovern noted that he has called for seven years for a White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Hunger to “connect the dots” between hunger and programs to reduce it.
“And while we all want to encourage work — let’s state for the record — a majority of those on SNAP are kids, elderly and the disabled. They are not expected to work. Of those who are expected to work, more than half do work. Among those who work, 58 percent worked full time for six months or more after receiving SNAP.
“The real problem is that those who work earn so little that they are still eligible for the [SNAP] program,” McGovern said. “I believe that if you work in this country, you ought not to live in poverty. Where’s the outrage over lousy wages?”
“This is a complex problem. Some members of Congress are more interested in a campaign bumper sticker or a sound bite for cable TV,” he added.
“American families deserve more. If members of Congress really care about helping struggling families, we should have a real debate about the ways we can help them get on their feet and stay there.
McGovern noted there have been suggestions of lowering marginal tax rates, but he said the easy way to accomplish that is “to extend phase-out ranges for programs besides SNAP, which I’m sure some of my Republican friends are not fine with because it will cost more.”
“These ideas make me nervous about what the majority is up to,” McGovern said.
“Everyone at today’s hearing should think carefully about the consequences of such reckless approaches to the very programs that are essential to helping America’s most vulnerable families get on a path to the middle class.”
- Casey Mulligan, Department of Economics, University of Chicago
- Chanel McCorkle, Baltimore, accompanied by Marsha Netus, director of operations, America Works, Baltimore
- Erik Randolph, senior fellow, Illinois Policy Institute, Chicago
- Olivia Golden, executive director, Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington
- Eugene Steuerle, senior fellow, Urban Institute, Washington
