Congressman Neugebauer Spearheads Letter Urging Texas Participation in Pilot Program for Food Stamp Reform

As a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture and a member of the Farm Bill Conference Committee, I spearheaded a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission, requesting that Texas take part in a pilot program to help families on food stamps find employment.

The pilot program was included in H.R. 2642, commonly known as the Farm Bill, the first legislation to reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since the Welfare Reform Act of 1996.

While I think we could have done more to improve nutrition assistance so it makes more efficient use of taxpayer dollars and better serves families in need, I’m pleased that we were able to include some SNAP reforms in the Farm Bill. This pilot program includes work requirements and employment training to create opportunities for Americans to move off food stamps. I would be proud if my home state could be a forerunner in demonstrating the success of these reforms.

The letter was co-signed by Senator John Cornyn and 16 Members of Congress from Texas. We explain that Texas’ leadership in job creation and low unemployment would benefit from participation. While we are proud of the work Texas is already doing to get SNAP recipients in the state back to work, participating in this pilot program will allow the state to expand these efforts by allowing for greater flexibility to implement innovative new practices. We strongly encourage Texas to apply to become one of the ten states in the pilot program created in H.R. 2642 to set the standard for national reform.

Spending on SNAP has grown tremendously over the past few years. Instead of just bandaging the problem, we should focus on creating genuine opportunity that will improve the quality of life for the families who need it most.

The full text of the letter is available here.

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