U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern circulates 'Dear Colleague letter'; "5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Food Stamps"

Washington, DC, February 2, 2012

Five Things You Probably Don't Know About Food Stamps

February 2, 2012

Dear Colleague,

As you may know, I am circulating a series of Dear Colleagues on the SNAP program specifically because the plight of the hungry in America has been thrust into the center of our political debate.

There are many misconceptions about SNAP. I believe it's important for all of us to know the facts. Yesterday, I circulated a Dear Colleague outlining SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps. I included an informational report about SNAP, essentially a SNAP 101 primer. Today, I am circulating a report titled -Five Things You Probably Don't Know About Food Stamps- http://www.offthechartsblog.org/five-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-food-stamps/.

The number of people struggling with hunger in America is rising - and it's because of the bad economy. Even more people would go hungry if it weren't for SNAP. But SNAP is not a program just for the unemployed, nor is it a program that is overrun with fraud, waste and abuse. As you'll see in this report, not only have the number of working families on SNAP risen over the past decade but those numbers are forecast to go down over the next few years as the economy recovers. SNAP is a counter-cyclical program. In other words, participation increases when the economy - specifically wages - worsens. That's what we've seen over the past few years and we'll see fewer people relying on SNAP as the economy gets better.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to circulate news articles and fact sheets about SNAP and its role in preventing hunger. I will continue to correct the misconceptions and misleading comments that are being perpetuated by those who either don't know much about the program or are opposed to it.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern

Member of Congress