Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today the House Agriculture Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations Subcommittee held a hearing on the administration’s proposed rule to ensure waivers from work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) are preserved for those truly in need. After the hearing, Subcommittee Ranking Member Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) and Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) made the following remarks:

“Work has dignity. Work is opportunity. Work is not a dirty word. Able-bodied adults cannot be kept on the sidelines while we witness historically low unemployment and a record-high seven million open jobs. I appreciate the administration’s work to ensure these waivers are preserved for those who truly need them and I look forward to continuing to work with them to realize our shared goals of employment, self-sufficiency and prosperity for SNAP recipients,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Dusty Johnson (SD-AL).

“Leading up to the 2018 Farm Bill, this committee held 21 hearings on SNAP – of which, fourteen were dedicated to examining the ABAWD population. For years, we’ve heard members on the other side of the aisle, including the chairman, complain about eligibility and the state abuses of the waiver process. We attempted to address it in the farm bill, and then were repeatedly told by Democrats that Congress didn’t need to act because the administration already had the flexibility to address the problem. So, here we are with a solution proposed by USDA, and not one Democrat offered a suggestion beyond asking the Secretary to withdraw this proposal. It is time Democrats to stop talking out of both sides of their mouth,” said Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11).