Catholic Charities USA Calls for Restoration of Food Stamp Benefits to Legal Immigrants, Improvements to Program

Catholic Charities USA
Monday, 4 March 2002

Catholic Charities USA—one of the nation's largest social services networks—is calling on Congress to restore vital food stamp benefits to legal immigrants and improve the federal Food Stamp Program.

"Catholic social teaching stresses the dignity of the individual person. Catholic Charities USA is urging you now to craft legislation that will enable low-income people and legal immigrants to access needed food and to do so with dignity," said Catholic Charities USA Vice President for Social Policy Sharon M. Daly, in a letter to House and Senate conferees of the farm bill.

As conferees work to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, Catholic Charities USA is backing the following provisions to in the Senate version of the bill.

- To restore full food stamp eligibility to legal immigrant children, refugees, and persons with severe disabilities. These benefits were stripped during the 1996 immigration and welfare reforms.

- To automatically enable families leaving the welfare rolls to continue to receive food stamp benefits. The provision would also increase food stamps to such families if they suffer a reduction of cash income.

- To increase food stamp benefits to all eligible households through a more realistic and generous standard deduction.

- Catholic Charities USA opposes the Senate provision that would deny food stamps to legal immigrants who at any time in the past lived in the U.S. without authorization.

As this nation's primary safety net against hunger, food stamps are targeted to the poorest citizens and are the only assistance available to low-income people, regardless of their age, health, or employment status.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Charities USA, see their website at: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org