CAMI Calls for Oversight on Unacceptably Slow SNAP Following Hearing on “Severe Food Distribution Shortages”
Earlier this month at an oversight hearing, the USDA Chief acknowledged that the agency “failed to perform” its duty to provide food to tribes and the elderly. He went on to say, “For that, we at USDA are deeply sorry for the stress, disruption, and difficulty this failure has caused.”
Lawmakers are outraged by USDA leaving communities hungry
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said, “It’s more than a mistake, it’s gross negligence.”
Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris expressed disgust that “no one is held accountable, and no one takes ownership for the egregious mistakes” that caused “food shortages, expired food, delivery delays, and cancellations.”
House Agriculture Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture Subcommittee Chairman Brad Finstad said he was “appalled” at the level of “ongoing incompetence.”
Who will take accountability and ownership for SNAP “failing to perform”?
And yet, no one seems to be publicly outraged by the other ongoing scandal within USDA involving widespread food delays — SNAP being unacceptably slow, insufficient at providing food stamps to hungry families.
SNAP serves, on average, more than 42 million Americans a month. And only two states throughout the entire country are currently meeting USDA standards for processing SNAP benefit applications on time. That’s according to unreleased data exclusively obtained by the Center for Accountability, Modernization, and Innovation (shown below).
SNAP status quo and solutions
In February, USDA issued a letter to 47 governors to state that the department is “deeply concerned” about the consequences that delayed and/or inaccurate SNAP benefits can have on families in need.
USDA urged states to consider options available to them to streamline and simplify processes and invest in “systems and staffing to support modern business models and delivery systems.” Currently, states cannot hire outside contractors for additional staffing support, even though the use of contractors is already allowed in nearly every other state-operated assistance program for low-income residents and citizens.
The SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act, contained in the House Ag Committee Farm Bill, would give states the option to hire outside contractors to alleviate the workload of their employees. The bipartisan group, American Public Human Services Association, which represents state leaders who administer SNAP, has even issued a strong and clear statement of support for staff flexibility as a priority in the Farm Bill.
Why isn’t SNAP under scrutiny? Where is the furor for families who can’t get food stamps?
CAMI is calling for another oversight hearing focused on SNAP and its problems that are plaguing some of America’s most vulnerable people who are applying for food assistance.