Farm Bill Reins In Food Stamp Abuse

Press Release

Washington, DC -- The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to rein in food stamp abuse by passing the Farm Bill, which will lower budget deficits by $16.6 billion over the next ten years.

"The government's food stamp program is out of control," said Texas Republican, Kevin Brady, who voted for the bill. "The Farm Bill cuts this welfare program by $8 billion, prohibits illegal immigrants from participating, and allows states like Texas to require able-bodied adults to work for the benefits. This is a solid step forward. A "no' vote would have killed all cuts and reforms, and that is unacceptable."

"Last year, I and other conservatives stopped an earlier version of the farm bill and successfully forced the House to separate food stamps from the traditional farm programs," added Brady. "In the future, we'll need a Republican Senate to ensure Congress takes up only "farm only' farm bills with much stronger conservative reforms."

The legislation cut $8 billion from the food stamp program, the first reform since 1996. It also allows states to investigate retail fraud and cracks down on trafficking through data mining. In addition, it prohibits the USDA from SNAP recruitment activities, such as advertising on TV, radio, billboards and through foreign governments.

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