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CHAIRMAN BISHOP SLAMS USDA RULE ON SNAP

December 4, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, released a statement on the United States Department of Agriculture's finalized rule to tighten restrictions on the eligibility of Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) for benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

"This rule is an abomination that only serves to punish our most vulnerable citizens who are working hard to support themselves and their families. To be this cruel during the holiday season adds insult to injury. Families all across the nation struggle to make ends meet in December and now this Administration is going to kick the most vulnerable when they are down. Over half a million people will lose their SNAP benefits within the first month, negatively impacting food security.

"Make no mistake—it is working veterans, people with disabilities, and seniors who will suffer under this new rule the most. Instead of helping these Americans while they help themselves, the Administration has decided to disparage them as lazy and undeserving. For an Administration that asserts itself as Christianly, I cannot imagine a more hypocritical action that will harm the very people the Lord calls on us to protect. Ebenezer Scrooge would be proud."