Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule to eliminate state flexibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would slash food assistance for at least 3 million people and jeopardize access to free school meals for 500,000 low-income students:

“The Administration’s latest act of staggering callousness would steal food off the table of working families and hungry children, and dismantle proven pathways out of poverty for millions. This proposal perfectly showcases the Republicans’ cynical special interest agenda that gives billion-dollar handouts to big corporations and the wealthy few, and then steals from children, veterans, seniors and working families to make up the difference.

“The Administration’s proposal is both cruel and counterproductive, ignoring the truth that SNAP injects demand into the economy by creating $1.79 for every dollar in benefits. The Administration is also sadly rejecting the overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which made smart improvements that strengthened the safety net for food-insecure families. By rejecting and ignoring the will of Congress, this Administration is complicit in worsening hunger for many Americans in both rural and urban communities, including 168,000 Californians.

“This Administration must stop relitigating the Farm Bill and commit to implementing the bipartisan agreement to make anti-hunger initiatives more effective. House Democrats will always stand firm for the health, well-being and dignity of America’s working families, and will continue to advance our For The People agenda to deliver lower health care costs, bigger paychecks and cleaner government that fights for the public interest, not the special interests.”