[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 8998-8999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            NUTRITION SUBCOMMITTEE EXAMINES SNAP TECHNOLOGY

  (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. Madam Speaker, earlier this morning, 
the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition hosted a hearing to 
examine SNAP technology and modernization.
  SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was formerly 
known as food stamps. The Agriculture Committee has conducted a 
thorough review of SNAP over the past 30 months.
  This program is critically important to 42 million Americans who 
utilize it each month. It is the largest domestic hunger safety net 
program in the country, and it is imperative that it remains viable so 
we can continue to serve so many who are struggling. That is why, at 
today's hearing, we discussed technology and modernization of SNAP, 
including areas to enhance program integrity, streamline delivery of 
services, improve the customer experience, and ease administrative 
burdens.
  In just 2004, EBT, or electronic benefit transfer, was completed. 
This is

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the electronic system that allows a recipient to authorize transfer of 
their supplemental benefits to a retailer to pay for products. This was 
a tremendous step forward toward improving the program.
  As chairman of the Nutrition Subcommittee, I look forward to 
continuing to improve the efficiency of SNAP.

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