Spanberger Joins Fellow U.S. House Agriculture Committee Democrats in Pushing to Protect Basic SNAP Benefits for Virginia Families & Kids
U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger joined her fellow U.S. House Agriculture Committee Democrats in emphasizing the importance of protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as 2023 Farm Bill negotiations continue.
In a letter sent to the U.S. House Budget Committee, Spanberger and 23 of her colleagues urged the Committee’s leadership to avoid making any cuts to this vital program. Specifically, the Members highlighted the positive economic effects and immediate impact the federal nutrition program has on children and families across the country. For example, they mention how children receiving SNAP have better health outcomes than their counterparts not receiving benefits — including reduced likelihood of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes in adulthood.
“Over the next decade, SNAP spending will continue to support a robust national economy by returning $1.50 for each additional dollar spent in a recovering economy, and by generating hundreds of thousands of jobs in grocery, transportation, manufacturing, and other industries,” wrote Spanberger and her colleagues. “Further, SNAP’s outsized economic impact in rural communities will help to ensure that economic recovery does not leave these communities behind; SNAP spending is shown to increase rural economic output annually by 1.25 percent and rural employment by 1.18 percent and to have a stronger impact on poverty in rural counties than non-rural counties.”
Today’s letter is signed by every Democratic Member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, totaling 24 Representatives. The effort was led by U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05), who serves as Ranking Member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture Subcommittee.
Click here to read the letter, and the full letter text is also below.
Original source can be found here
