Rep. Craig Statement on Farm Bill Amendment on Rotisserie Chicken SNAP Eligibility

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against a farm bill amendment that would narrowly expand food options for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to include rotisserie chicken. 

“As someone whose own family needed SNAP at times growing up, I know firsthand how important it is that our food assistance programs meet the needs of working families in this country. It’s why I’ve fought tooth and nail this Congress as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee to defend SNAP against Republicans’ historic cuts to the program and restore benefits to working Americans. 

“Yesterday, the House passed an amendment to the farm bill that narrowly expands SNAP-eligible foods to include rotisserie chicken and effectively bans all other hot foods. Along with other members of Democratic leadership, I voted against it to send a message that the amendment does not go far enough to expand SNAP-eligibility, and we will continue to push the Senate to include a further expansion in the final version of the bill.
“There is no question that SNAP recipients need access to more hot food options, but this amendment was pushed by big grocers and retailers and the chicken industry. We can do better.

“On behalf of SNAP recipients across the nation, I will be fighting for the inclusion of the Hot Foods Act in the final farm bill, which would expand SNAP-eligible foods to include a wide array of hot food options, like soups, hot sandwiches and rotisserie chicken. This legislation has over 100 bipartisan House and Senate cosponsors, is supported by anti-hunger groups across our country and is the true path forward to ensuring that every American has access to a filling meal.”

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