[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H616-H617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STOP EBT CARD ABUSE
(Mr. GROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
[[Page H617]]
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, as I go about my district, I like to meet
with the average Wisconsinite to see what is on their mind. It is so
much more illuminating than hanging around Washington and meeting with
lobbyists.
Whether I stop in convenience stores or food stores, which I do
between my meetings, inevitably the talk turns to abuse of the EBT
card. I hear stories again and again of people selling EBT cards for 50
cents on the dollar, which apparently means that some people don't need
them. Another complaint is some clerks are able to look at the card, or
it turns up on the receipt how much money they have left on the card,
and there may be thousands of dollars there, which is also a problem.
I thought: What can we do to prevent some of this abuse? We have
introduced a bill called ID for EBT Card, in which a person's
photograph would have to appear on the card.
When I speak to the clerks in my convenience stores, they unanimously
believe that this would be a good idea and be a step toward fighting
the fraud and abuse in this program.
____________________