Conaway Statement on TPP Agreement
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement after negotiators in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) reached an agreement in Atlanta, GA, earlier this morning.
Today, Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-2), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, held a hearing to discuss the development and utilization of evidence-based solutions to improve nutrition programs. This hearing is a continuation of the committee’s ongoing review, known as the Past, Present, and Future of SNAP. The subcommittee heard from experts who shared how results from quality research can be implemented in meaningful ways to improve recipients’ lives and better target limited taxpayer dollars.
“With nearly 46 million Americans in the SNAP program, it is critical to explore how we can implement effective research that will improve the lives of recipients and the integrity of the program. Increasing the quality and quantity of research leads to more, and better, evidence-based solutions that help us as lawmakers evaluate what works and what doesn’t. This way, we can target resources towards programs that can have the greatest imp act on improving SNAP for both recipients and taxpayers.” said Chairwoman Walorski.
“The success and effectiveness of SNAP cannot be measured by the quantity of caseloads; it must be measured by the quality of outcomes for individual recipients. We need to make sure the proper tools are in place to monitor important indicators to protect recipients and the integrity of the program,” said Chairman K. Michael Conaway.
Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today’s hearing is linked below. Click here for more information, including Subcommittee Chairwoman Walorski's opening statement, and the archived webcast.
Witness List:
Panel I
Mr. Jon Baron, Vice-President for Evidence-Based Policy, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Washington, DC
Mr. Jim Weill, President, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Washington, DC
Mr. Jim Sullivan, Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame and Lab for Economic Opportunity (LEO), South Bend, IN
Mr. Jeremy Everett, Director, Texas Hunger Initiative (THI), Waco, TX