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Washington, D.C. - Rep. Jean Schmidt, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture, held a hearing Thursday on increasingly expensive federal food programs geared to low-income households.
The cost to taxpayers is surging as millions of more people request help, and Schmidt wants to gather information about the effectiveness of such programs and whether duplication, waste and fraud can be reduced or eliminated.
“More than 75 percent of the Agriculture Committee’s budget goes to nutrition programs, which serve a broad range of people throughout the country,” said Schmidt, who represents Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District. “The largest is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Participation in SNAP has risen by nearly 70 percent—from 26 million in 2007 to more than 44 million in April of 2011.”
The increase in what was previously called the food stamp program is linked to the economic downturn, the stimulus bill, and less strict eligibility requirements, she said. About $33 billion was spent on SNAP in Fiscal Year 2007, but that could more than double to nearly $69 billion this fiscal year.
SNAP is designed to adjust to the needs of the U.S. population—increasing when more people need food assistance and decreasing when the economy improves.
“This dramatic growth has strained our resources,” Schmidt said. “Given our current budget situation, we have a responsibility to examine whether we can reduce that amount without compromising the integrity of SNAP. The program is there to help those truly in need, and it's unfortunate when abuses occur.”
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