FUTURE of SNAP

Through our

Past, Present, and Future of SNAP

hearing series, the House Committee

on Agriculture heard from 60 witnesses in 16 hearings over the course of the past two

years on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the most important

nutrition assistance program in the United States. With around $70 billion in benefits

going to more than 43 million SNAP recipients each year, even small program

improvements can result in better nutrition for hungry families and in taxpayer

resources being used more effectively. This report documents the findings of the

hearing series, which reviewed characteristics of SNAP recipients, the functioning of

the program, and innovations in serving those in need of nutrition assistance.

While it may have generated “hearing fatigue,” the review of SNAP was an essential

part of our work as we prepare to reauthorize SNAP in the 115th Congress. SNAP is a

complex program implemented uniquely by each state. It serves diverse populations

with a wide range of needs, many of which are not visible without taking a deeper

dive into the program to see how it works.

We know that we live in a country with the safest, most affordable, and most

abundant food supply in the world. While Americans on average spend less of their

disposable income on food than any other country in the world, those on the lower

end of the income ladder in the United States spend more than 34 percent of their

disposable income on food—if they have any disposable income at all. It is our

responsibility to help our most vulnerable citizens, whether they are children, the

elderly, the disabled, veterans, or those who are down on their luck due to no fault of

their own. SNAP serves that purpose, partnering with many other organizations to put

food on the plates of those who would otherwise be hungry. It is the Committee’s role

to ensure we are successful in accomplishing that purpose.

You will find nothing in this report that suggests gutting SNAP or getting rid of a

program that does so much to serve so many. What you will find are a number

of ways the program is working successfully and a number of areas in need of

improvement. You will find areas for innovation, for adjustment, for education and

training, and for rethinking the best ways to serve those in need.

There is common ground to be found on SNAP, both in understanding the needs of

the population SNAP serves, and in working collaboratively to improve SNAP. That

common ground must be found not only within Congress, but across government

agencies, non-profits, the private sector, universities, communities, recipients, and a

host of other partners involved in meeting the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable

citizens.

SNAP serves a critical mission: to feed those who need it and to empower those

who are able to move from SNAP to self-reliance. This report focuses on how

SNAP currently achieves this mission, and highlights the suggestions of our many

witnesses on how SNAP can more effectively fulfill its mission.