Congresswoman Fudge Response to USDA Online SNAP Pilots

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of the online SNAP pilots:

“With more and more people looking to online retailers for the products they need, these pilots represent a timely analysis of ways we can modernize the SNAP program,” said Fudge.  “I am interested to see the results of these pilots, particularly their ability to address the issue of food access in food deserts.  As a part of the analysis of the pilots, I plan to pay close attention to data related to the security of delivery of food to SNAP recipients in hard to reach areas.  Limited access to healthy foods is something that impacts Americans living in urban centers like New York and Baltimore, and those living in rural Nebraska and Iowa.  These pilots should show the potential of e-commerce to improve access to food for hungry people in my district and across the country.  However, though I am cautiously optimistic about the potential of the pilots, I cannot stress enough that I remain concerned about USDA’s overall efforts to cut access to SNAP and eliminate benefits for many of the people the program aims to serve.”

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