ACTIVISM TOOLKIT: SNAP (Foodstamps)

heritageaction | July 10, 2017

Last month, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) introduced the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2996). This legislation builds on the success of President Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform that requires able bodied adults to be engaged in some sort of work or work activity in order to receive welfare requirements.

Conservatives should work to get their representatives to be co-sponsors of the SNAP act. The goal is to get as many Republican members on the bill to gain momentum to have a full floor vote on the bill.

Key Talking Points: 

• The SNAP Reform Act would would help reduce poverty and government dependency, increase self-sufficiency, and restore families by strengthening the effective and popular work requirements for all “able-bodied adults without dependents” or ABAWDs. These include adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who are not disabled and who have no children to support. 
  
• 90% of Americans believe that able-bodied adults receiving means-tested welfare assistance should be required to work or prepare for work.
• From 2000 to 2015, food stamp recipients increased by more than 28 million and cost the government $83.1 billion in FY 2014 alone.
• In FY 2014, Maine implemented a work requirement for ABAWDs. After the implementation of the work requirement, Maine’s ABAWD caseload dropped by 80 percent within just a few months. If a federal work requirement for ABAWDs were enacted and achieved the same level of success as was achieved in Maine, the reform could save taxpayers up to $9.7 billion annually.

(Make sure to insert the twitter handle of your Representative)

• @MEMBER co-sponsor #SNAPreform Act of 2017. 90% of Americans support work requirements
• @MEMBER #SNAPreform would help end government dependence and save taxpayers billions of dollars
• @MEMBER work requirements for able-bodied adults to receive food stamps is sensible, effective policy #SNAPreform
• Welfare programs should have the goal of getting people back to work. @MEMBER Americans want #SNAPreform

General Tweets:

• #SNAPreform would help reduce poverty & government dependency, increase self-sufficiency, and restore families
• #FoodStamps have grown out-of-control in recent years, both in cost and in the number of recipients. It’s time for #SNAPreform
• Work requirements have been implemented in Maine, Kansas & Alabama with great success. It’s time for all of America to have #SNAPreform
• Welfare programs, including food stamps, should be temporary, limited in size and scope, and assist those truly in need. #SNAPreform

These are notes to use when calling your member of Congress. You can find their phone number on the Heritage Action Dashboard.

Hi, I’m [NAME] from [STATE].

The goal of welfare programs should be to increase self-sufficiency and decrease government dependency. However food stamp recipients have increased at an alarming rate, and so has spending for the program. It doubled under Bush and doubled again under Obama. It’s time for reform.

Rep. Garret Graves introduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2996) and I noticed the Congressman is not a co-sponsor. This bill would encourage millions of Americans to get back to work, help end the cycle of poverty for those dependent on government assistance, and save taxpayers billions of dollars. 

Able-bodied adults without dependents should be required to work or prepare for work in exchange for government assistance — and 90% of Americans agree.

Please tell the Congressman to co-sponsor the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017. It’s time to reform the food stamp program to ensure it serves those truly in need.

The goal is to get all Republican members on the co-sponsor list, however we are starting with asking Conservative members to add their names.

COMING SOON

Will be all Republican members minus the co-sponsors

Below is a sample letter to the editor. We encourage you to adapt and personalize the letter below. Heritage Action Regional Coordinators are always here to help edit your letter and get it published.

Congressman X, Support Work for Welfare

Over the past two decades Congress has let the Food Stamp Program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, grow out-of-control.

From 2000 to 2015, the number of food stamp recipients increased from around 17 million to more than 45 million while government spending on the program rose from just over $20 billion to $83 billion! Alarmingly, the most rapidly growing group of Americans receiving food stamps is able-bodied adults without kids.

President Ronald Reagan once said: “We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added.” Millions of our fellow adult citizens without children are living off taxpayer dollars without working. It’s time for the party of Reagan to step up and help solve the problem.

Inspired by the success of the 1996 work for welfare reforms, Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) introduced the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2996). This bill enacts work requirements on able-bodied adults without dependents as a condition to receive food stamp benefits. An overwhelming 90 percent of Americans agree that able-bodied adults receiving means-tested welfare assistance should be required to work or prepare for work.

If passed and signed into law, this legislation would encourage millions of Americans to get back to work, help end the cycle of poverty for those dependent on government assistance, and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

Congressman [X] should support work for welfare reform by cosponsoring the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017.

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