As I have met with business owners, I have heard that they do not know of enough people to fill their jobs. Their concerns reflect a national statistic showing that there are more than 6 million unfilled jobs in the country, meaning we need to create a skilled workforce. Far too many Americans are caught in the cycle of poverty, and my Congressional colleagues and I are working to connect more Americans with jobs and training.
As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I have helped to craft a Farm Bill that is now being negotiated by members of the House and Senate. This bill was originally created to assist farmers, but it is now used to appropriate funds for all programs under the Department of Agriculture, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a good assistance program formerly known as 'food stamps'. In addition to helping farmers and ranchers, I view the Farm Bill as an opportunity to reform SNAP and lift Americans out of poverty.

The House's version of the Farm Bill requires food stamp recipients, except for those with disabilities or young children, work or participate in job training at least 20 hours per week. It invests $1 billion per year in people by pairing food stamp recipients with the training they need so they can get a job in their local community, and despite this large investment, the bill is budget neutral due to savings and efficiencies elsewhere. I believe these reforms will benefit many Americans. When Kansas and Maine implemented work requirements for food stamps, more recipients returned to the workforce with a higher income.

None of the Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee voted for the Farm Bill due to our proposed changes to SNAP. Both I and my Republican colleagues view work requirements as an opportunity for more Americans to develop skills so that they can one day search for a full-time job and no longer have to rely on the government for assistance. Please join me in helping more individuals to realize the American Dream by visiting www.vickyhartzler.com to contribute $100, $50, or $25 to my campaign. Together we can rebuild the foundations of our economy.

Onward,