[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3052]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SNAP: A RUNG ON THE ECONOMIC LADDER

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to identify 
an important rung on the economic ladder.
  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can help pave 
the way for recipients to climb the economic ladder through work 
training. The truth is simple: where poverty exists, skills gaps can 
prevent access to jobs with family-sustaining wages.
  Underemployment and unemployed are leading causes of poverty, and 
promoting pathways to employment is the best way to help individuals 
climb the economic ladder out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. 
Combined with other welfare programs, SNAP recipients may face a 
welfare cliff when they are just above the income eligibility level, 
which can create disincentives to finding work or increasing earnings.
  Better enforcement of work requirements is needed in some States, and 
enforcement needs to be coupled with more effective SNAP employment and 
training programs.
  As the House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee chair and House 
Career and Technical Education Caucus co-chair, I am committed to 
reforming the nutrition needs of today and greater opportunities for 
tomorrow for all Americans.

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