Opening Statements

House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) delivered the following opening statement at today's full committee hearing, "The Power of Work: Expanding Opportunity Through SNAP."

Remarks as prepared:

Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing on the relationship between the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, and employment.  

Thank you to our witnesses for sharing their time, expertise, and passion. 

The focus of today’s hearing is to examine ways to get more SNAP participants on the ladder of opportunity and on their way to achieving the American dream. 

I strongly believe the best way to do this is through employment. 

We must preserve benefits for those truly in need but also ensure that SNAP guides participants to independence and self-sufficiency. If we can get folks that first job, they will be on the ladder of opportunity and will continue to climb the rungs and increase their earnings.

There is dignity in work, and it provides more than just a paycheck. America thrives when every family has the opportunity to work, earn, and succeed independently from the government.

Unemployment remains at a record low, there are 7.6 million jobs open across the country, and companies are announcing major investments in the United States. Put simply, we need more able-bodied Americans engaged in work. It’s a win-win for the country and for American families. 

However, we know that three quarters of nondisabled adults aged 18-54 without dependents, or ABAWDs, who are receiving SNAP, are NOT working. These are folks who are capable of work and not taking care of anyone under the age of 18 or an aging parent or relative. This percentage is largely unchanged from 2019 despite a 67% increase in spending on the SNAP program. 

Clearly, there is a need to strengthen the connection between receiving SNAP and securing employment. We can examine the relationship between SNAP and employment by taking a closer look at two key components of the program: work requirements and SNAP employment, and career and technical education programs.  

Work requirements are an important tool for encouraging work among low-income households. Congress has reaffirmed this on a bipartisan basis throughout the passage of several bipartisan Farm Bills, and most recently, the Fiscal Responsibility Act. 

However, in some states, broad waivers allow SNAP participants to remain on the sidelines of the economy indefinitely. 

Today, 40 percent of all ABAWDs on SNAP live under a state waiver from the work requirement. These are millions of Americans being robbed of the opportunity to climb another rung on the economic ladder. 

Congress must ensure work requirement waivers are only used when economic circumstances truly justify them, not in states with 4.3% unemployment rates. 

The second tool in the toolbox are SNAP employment and career and technical education programs, otherwise known as SNAP E&T. 

SNAP E&T is a powerful, targeted program to help SNAP participants acquire career and technical education and long-term employment.

Not only do SNAP participants graduate from these programs with certifications in high-demand jobs like healthcare and trucking, but they also receive supportive services like transportation, childcare, and mental health supports. 

I look forward to hearing testimony today about the power of SNAP E&T programs to change lives. 

I am also proud of the provisions we included in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act last year to increase access to SNAP E&T. We removed a draconian, outdated ban on former drug felons from receiving SNAP, bringing that ladder of opportunity closer in reach, and allowing them to participate in SNAP E&T. 

We also included a provision to exclude any wages earned from SNAP E&T or other career and technical education programs from counting towards income for SNAP eligibility. Families should not be forced to choose between keeping their benefits and taking a job or pursuing the training that could lead to long-term financial independence. 

I have long been an advocate of the SNAP program and the helping hand it provides for our neighbors in need. But I hope we can all agree on our responsibility as Members of this Committee that we take every action possible to enable more people to move into long-term employment while meeting their nutritional needs. 

The safety net has become a spider’s web, and too many of our most vulnerable Americans are trapped. 

I refuse to believe they are all destined to live lives of government dependency. Let’s come together, not to talk about all the obstacles that may be in their way, but to instill hope that together, we can move more folks forward. 

With that, I welcome the esteemed Ranking Member from Minnesota for any opening remarks she would like to make.