Practice is Unnecessary, Discourages Program Participation and Wastes Money
Following reports that more New Yorkers went hungry in 2008 than the year before, Representative Anthony Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens), a member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee and 27 Members of Congress called on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to end the practice of fingerprinting food stamp applicants.
New York, Texas, California and Arizona require fingerprinting for all new food stamp applicants. Despite claims that this protects against fraud and duplicative benefits, according to the most recent USDA data, payment errors were actually higher in the 4 states that fingerprint. Meanwhile, participation rates for all eligible people in those states that fingerprint were lower. In addition, fingerprinting deters many people in need from applying. According to a March 2007 report by the Urban Institute, fingerprinting led to a 4.3% reduction in food stamp applicants because of the stigma associated with such a practice.
In a letter to Secretary Vilsack, Representatives Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Bob Filner (D-CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Diane Watson (D-CA), Al Green (D-TX), Pete Stark (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Sam Farr (D-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Charles Gonzalez (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), George Miller (D-CA), Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Michael Honda (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Gene Green (D-TX), Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) wrote: “Eliminating finger imaging would remove significant barriers for residents of these states who need help feeding themselves and their families, which is particularly important during these economic times.”
