UPDATED | Civil and Human Rights Coalition: Roby Food Stamp Amendment Would “Cause More American Children to Go Hungry”

UPDATE AT 3:19 PM: The agriculture committee passed a compromise version of this amendment (still known as the Roby amendment) that appears to go a long way toward addressing our concerns with the original.  That being said, we still view the overall cuts in the farm bill to the SNAP Program as extremely troubling.

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in advance of a vote on a House amendment to the farm bill that would place hurdles in the way of families and children to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps):

“By imposing stringent and bureaucratic requirements on households applying for help, the Roby amendment hurts families at their very core by preventing them from putting food on their tables.

An estimated 4.5 million children are citizens, but have a noncitizen parent. The law currently allows these children to receive food stamps while denying them to ineligible household members, but the Roby amendment would deny aid to everyone in that household. The amendment would punish children – including U.S. citizens – for the actions of their parents.  Instead of deterring unauthorized immigration, it would simply cause more American children to go hungry. 

This amendment is a solution in search of a problem. The SNAP program already verifies with the Department of Homeland Security that only citizens receive assistance. Citizen applicants must provide proof of their identity and Social Security number. There is no evidence of significant abuses of the program by noncitizens.

The SNAP program should serve all eligible children and families – not just those that can jump through the highest hoops.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.