US House Debates Food Stamp Reform

With the US House of Representatives planning to vote on a food stamp reform bill this week, my office has heard concerns about some of the changes included in the proposed legislation.

In recent years, food stamp spending has grown exponentially, from $15 billion in 2001 to $75 billion in 2012, and reforms are needed to reverse this unsustainable trend.  If implemented, the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act would reduce the cost of the food stamp program while maintaining benefits for the disabled and those with children.

First of all, the bill would require able-bodied adults without children to obtain employment, participate in job training, or volunteer in their communities in order to receive benefits.

This adjustment would save taxpayers $19 billion over ten years and bring the program back in line with the standards set by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, which was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The proposed legislation would also curtail the use of categorical eligibility, which allows individuals to automatically qualify for food stamps if they are eligible for other welfare programs. Under the revised language, recipients would have to apply for food stamps and prove their eligibility separately, a simple change that will save $20 billion.

If this bill passes the House of Representatives, a conference committee will attempt to strike a compromise between the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act and the Senate’s Farm Bill, which contains $4 billion in food stamp cuts and minor reforms. 

The government ought to provide assistance to its most vulnerable citizens, but food stamp fraud and improper benefits waste the money that is meant for the truly needy. The food stamp program’s skyrocketing costs cannot be funded forever, so practical reforms are needed to ensure the long-term viability of the program and protect the families it supports.