Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer,
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in urging congressional leaders to extend critical protections for victims of food stamp theft, which are set to expire at the end of September. Currently, states are required to replace stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The requirement was adopted in recent years in response to a massive uptick in thieves using skimming devices to steal SNAP benefits distributed on electronic debit cards (EBT). The provision applied to benefits stolen from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2024.
“At a time when millions of families rely on SNAP to put food on the table, especially as grocery prices remain elevated, we must ensure victims of benefit theft are made whole and don’t go hungry,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to push for an extension of this critical protection for victims of SNAP theft.”
In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized the dramatic impact of the reimbursement program, with more than 125,000 households being reimbursed since October 2022. This number does not include some of the hardest-hit states that have not reported the full impact.
Read the full letter HERE.
Chavez-DeRemer has been a leading advocate for improving SNAP. In the bipartisan Farm Bill that has passed the House Agriculture Committee, she helped lead several proposals that were adopted to speed up SNAP application processing, improve access to healthy foods, and protect benefits for individuals participating in job training programs.
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