WASHINGTON, DC - Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) and Worker & Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) today released the following joint statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent memo recommending states make a policy change that contradicts congressional intent of the child support enforcement program and threatens vulnerable children’s food security:
“USDA’s recent guidance to states would compromise families’ ability to qualify for nutrition assistance and put more children at risk of going hungry. Taking away food assistance to punish parents who are behind on their child support payments, or who haven’t filed a child support case, makes those parents less capable of providing financial support to their children. It perpetuates instability, reduces a family’s overall food budget, and leaves parents with fewer resources to ensure that their children have enough to eat. Congress did not intend for the child support enforcement program to be used in this way, and the Trump Administration should retract its harmful guidance."
