WASHINGTON (May 29, 2023) The following statement is attributed to Eric Mitchell, Executive Director of the Alliance to End Hunger.
“Avoiding a debt limit default will spare the country from an economic catastrophe, but it is simply wrong that the compromise agreement forces older Americans with low incomes to pay such a heavy price. The expansion of ineffective and bureaucratic work requirements will cause more older Americans to needlessly suffer from hunger and poverty. SNAP’s primary objective is to help people put food on the table; any attempt to turn it into an employment program—particularly when extensive research shows that work requirements actually make it much harder, not easier, for people to find and keep jobs—runs contrary to the program’s mission and intent.
In a time when food insecurity is rising and food prices remain high, we should be expanding our nation’s social safety net, not restricting it. One positive outcome in the compromise agreement is that veterans, young adults aging out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness will no longer have to abide by work requirement rules to get the help they need to buy food. That more compassionate path is how Congress should proceed as it considers forthcoming legislation like the Farm Bill. Investing in children and families is an economic, health, and moral imperative.”
