Political Quotes

“The House Agriculture Committee has been focused on the issue of food insecurity and the programs that serve those in need beyond personal resources, family support, and community programs. Many are surprised to learn that 22,000 Active Duty military families receive supplemental nutritional assistance, or SNAP. Food insecurity for the families of these American heroes can be triggered by low pay among lower-ranking enlistees, high military spouse unemployment, larger household sizes, and unexpected financial emergencies. We lifted one barrier to SNAP assistance for military families by disbanding the Department of Defense-administered Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance, or FSSA. It was determined that the FSSA benefit was duplicative, underutilized, hard to qualify for, and less valuable than SNAP, with as few as 100 military families utilizing FSSA. Another significant barrier that prevents some military families from qualifying for SNAP is the fact that their off-base housing allowance counts as income when computing eligibility. It is my hope we remedy this. Mr. Speaker, as we prepare for reauthorization of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, we must remember the needs of America's finest and their families, our American military. After all, nutrition matters. ____________________”