Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Agriculture Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations Subcommittee held a hearing on the impacts of eliminating an administrative abuse of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) called Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) that confers food stamps to those who might not otherwise meet the criteria to receive the benefit. After the hearing, Subcommittee Ranking Member Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) and Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) made the following remarks:

“If you’re interested to know why some Americans are skeptical about SNAP, you need look no further than BBCE. This egregious administrative abuse undermines an important program that should be preserved for the most needy among us by conferring eligibility to those who would not have qualified in the first place. In some states, simply receiving a pamphlet or brochure qualifies a household to receive SNAP benefits. One need only hear the story of Rob Undersander, the Minnesota Millionaire to understand that this policy is in desperate need of reform,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Johnson.

“Instead of helping SNAP recipients take advantage of the booming economy, Democrats continue to double down on the failed welfare state. Categorical eligibility has its place, but BBCE is indefensible. If we are serious about preserving and protecting SNAP, we must fix this out-of-control policy,” said Ranking Member Conaway.