Chairman McGovern Announces Roundtable Discussing Benefit Cliffs

Chairman McGovern Announces Roundtable Discussing Benefit Cliffs

Eleventh in a series of events examining the steps Congress and the Biden administration can take to finally end food insecurity in this country

WASHINGTON, DC — Rules Committee Chairman James P. McGovern (D-MA) today announced that the committee will be holding a roundtable examining the reality of benefit cliffs on Thursday, October 21st at 2pm EDT. The event is the eleventh in a series of committee events highlighting the reality of food insecurity in America and examining the steps that Congress and the Biden administration can take to equitably combat it. Ending Hunger in America: A Conversation about Benefit Cliffs follows the committee roundtable last week, Ending Hunger in America: Family Budgets and Food Insecurity.

“Talk with virtually anyone dealing with food insecurity in America today and you will hear a frustrating story about benefit cliffs, which completely cut people off from assistance the moment they make just a dollar over some arbitrary program limit. It’s a frustrating catch-22 that can make it harder for people to put healthy food on the table. I hope to shine a light on this issue so it can be a major part of an eventual White House hunger conference,” said Chairman McGovern. 

Chairman McGovern recently asked Americans to share their experiences, research, and possible solutions to help guide the committee in this work. He has also called for a substantive, policy-focused White House hunger conference to create the roadmap to end hunger by 2030, which the United Nations has called for.

Co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern authored legislation which created the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program. Now in its third decade, McGovern-Dole aims to provide at least one nutritious meal a day to some of the world’s most vulnerable children in a school setting. It has reduced the incidence of hunger among school-age children, increased school enrollments and attendance, and increased the support of families and communities for education. He also founded the bipartisan Food is Medicine working group in Congress to highlight how critical healthy meals are for American families.

What:  Ending Hunger in America: A Conversation about Benefit Cliffs

Who:  Dr. Stephanie Hoopes, National Director of United For ALICE at United Way of Northern New Jersey

            Karen Schoellkopf, Founder and CEO, Leap Fund 

            Georgia Allen, Co-Founder & CEO at Soaring Independent Cooperative 

            Pedro J. Perez, Executive Director, Charlotte Family Housing

            Dr. Brittany Birken, Principal Adviser, Community and Economic Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

When:  Thursday, October 21st at 2pm EDT

Where: This proceeding will be streamed live on rules.house.gov via Cisco Webex

 

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Created:
Oct 20, 2021