Cass Ballenger said "I support giving all the help we can to poor, hungry children in America, but when the programs that are supposed to help children are wasting money instead, that is a problem. A recent review by the House Committee on the Budget found that the food stamp program made an estimated $1.4 billion in improper payments in 1998, because food stamps are like currency, they can be easily used for fraudulent purposes. For example, 14 members of an Indiana gang stole $728,000 worth of food stamps from four county welfare offices and proceeded to trade them for cocaine and explosives. In 1995 and 1996, a total of $8.5 million in food stamps were paid out to 26,000 dead people in four States. No one knows who cashed in the benefits. These are types of blatant fraud and abuse that hurt the children's food stamps that were designed to help and we need to do something about it." @ PoliticalQuotes.com

On the recordApril 6, 2000

I support giving all the help we can to poor, hungry children in America, but when the programs that are supposed to help children are wasting money instead, that is a problem. A recent review by the House Committee on the Budget found that the food stamp program made an estimated $1.4 billion in improper payments in 1998, because food stamps are like currency, they can be easily used for fraudulent purposes. For example, 14 members of an Indiana gang stole $728,000 worth of food stamps from four county welfare offices and proceeded to trade them for cocaine and explosives. In 1995 and 1996, a total of $8.5 million in food stamps were paid out to 26,000 dead people in four States. No one knows who cashed in the benefits. These are types of blatant fraud and abuse that hurt the children's food stamps that were designed to help and we need to do something about it.

Said by

Cass Ballenger

North Carolina

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Addressing issues of fraud in the food stamp program during a House floor speech.

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