Leahy Presses To Add Food Stamp
Component To Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON (Thursday, January 24)
– In a letter to the Senate’s leadership Thursday, Senator
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged inclusion of a temporary expansion
of Food Stamp benefits in the economic stimulus package now
under development in Congress.
“A stimulus package provides an
opportunity to give a boost to the economy and at the same time
deliver meaningful assistance to those that will be most
impacted by a possible economic downturn,” Leahy wrote.
Food Stamps are a key element of
the safety net for low-income Americans, providing monthly
benefits to help individuals and families afford to buy food for
the dinner table. More than 25 million Americans receive some
level of Food Stamp help, and more than 10 percent of the U.S.
population is classified as lacking food security. In Vermont,
53,000 people are enrolled in the program.
Leahy, long a leader on Food Stamp
and anti-hunger policy, is the most senior member of either
party on the Agriculture Committee and a former chairman of the
panel.
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The text of the letter is below. Click
here
to view a PDF of this letter.
January 24, 2008
The Honorable Harry Reid The
Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
Minority Leader
United States
Senate United States Senate
Washington, DC
20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell,
As you continue work on comprehensive legislation to stimulate the
economy, I urge you to place a high priority on providing relief
through the Food Stamp program to the millions of Americans who are
hungry or at severe risk of going hungry. A stimulus package
provides an opportunity to give a boost to the economy and at the
same time deliver meaningful assistance to those that will be most
impacted by a possible economic downturn.
A recent USDA study has shown that Food Stamp benefits have a
measurable impact on the economy. From this study we know that
recipients are more likely to spend any additional income on food
and have a tendency to increase their spending on food when they
utilize their Food Stamp benefits. These factors mean that an
investment of $1 in Food Stamps has a multiplier effect of
generating $1.84 in economic activity. We also know that Food Stamp
recipients will utilize the benefits they are provided; each month
over ninety percent of Food Stamp recipients spend the majority of
their benefits, ensuring that any additional benefits they receive
will be put right back into the economy.
Time and time again the Food Stamp Program has proven itself as a
reliable mechanism for delivering quick and effective assistance to
those that need it most. From the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to
smaller regional disasters, Food Stamps have served as the strongest
piece of the federal safety net for vulnerable Americans. The
federal government also has a track record of providing temporary
increases in benefits to assist vulnerable populations. In one
instance, after residents in the Buffalo area lost days worth of
food due to a snow storm knocking out power, USDA granted New York a
waiver to restore a month’s worth of benefits to Food Stamp
recipients who had lost their food. With an electronic transfer of
benefits, additional funds can be quickly delivered to participants
at little cost.
It is essential that any package considered by Congress deliver a
temporary increase in Food Stamp benefits to all recipients. This
could best be achieved with an across the board twenty percent
increase of benefits for a six month period. Further, we should
provide a temporary increase to the minimum benefit, an action that
will have a pronounced positive impact for low income older
Americans who will be ineligible for most other portions on this
economic package. In order for states to effectively deliver these
benefits we must also provide a modest amount of funds so that they
can process any new benefits as quickly as possible and to properly
educate recipients about changes to the program.
While many of us believe that it would be beneficial to make these
program changes permanent, the goal of this economic stimulus
package is to provide timely and targeted relief. The ideas offered
here fit these criteria and would provide an impressive return in
economic activity per dollar spent.
Thank you for your interest and I look forward to working with you
on this issue.
Sincerely,
PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator
