Food Stamps
Summary
The Food Stamp Act of 1964 made the Food Stamps Program a permanent piece of legislation. This program continues to provide financial assistance for purchasing food for low-income American families today.
Depression Era
The Food Stamp Program started in the late 1930s in response to an unprecedented situation where the U.S. had both farm surpluses and hundreds of thousands of hungry people. In the early version of the program, people purchased stamps on a $1 for $1 ratio, but also received additional stamps that entitled them to buy foods that were designated “surplus” at local stores for a reduced price. The program lasted until 1943, when the escalation of World War II resulted in both decreased surpluses and reduced unemployment.
The Food Stamp Act
In 1961, the Food Stamp Program was reestablished as a pilot program and incorporated as part of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty to assist the thousands of Americans who were still under-nourished.
The Food Stamp Act of 1964 launched it as a permanent program, but it was not until 10 years later, in 1974, that the Food Stamp Program went nationwide and Congress required participation from all states.
Bob Dole's Role
Bob Dole had been peripherally involved with the program throughout his House of Representatives and early Senate career, but in 1977 he led the charge to change the Food Stamp program significantly.
Along with George McGovern (D-SD), he worked to produce a bipartisan solution to two of the main problems associated with food stamps: cumbersome purchase requirements and lax eligibility standards. They succeeded in designing a program that eliminated the need for individuals to make a required minimum payment to obtain food stamp coupons – a minimum that many still could not afford.
Additionally, their efforts added controls to the program, eliminating dependent college students whose families weren’t eligible and penalizing breadwinners who voluntarily quit their jobs and applied for food stamps; these moves protected taxpayers and the integrity of the program. Dole’s request to Congress to support this provision was characteristically frank:
“I am confident that this bill eliminates the greedy and feeds the needy.”
Emergency Aid
Dole’s involvement didn’t end there, though. In 1991, when a deadly tornado ripped through Southeast Kansas, he pushed for and got emergency food stamp assistance for residents in those counties in record time – just four days. Just two years later, when severe flooding occurred in the Midwest, he did the same for its residents. This only solidified Dole’s record as a strong yet pragmatic supporter of food stamps and the difference that they can make in the lives of Americans.
Archival Materials
Senators Dole and McGovern at the United Nations World Food Programme Senate Hearing
File Name: ph_158_001_004
Material Type: Photograph
Date: 2000-07-27
Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 158, Folder 1, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Senators Dole and McGovern chatting with others at the United Nations World Food Programme Senate Hearing
File Name: ph_158_001_003
Material Type: Photograph
Date: 2000-07-27
Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 158, Folder 1, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Senator Bob Dole and Senator George McGovern at a committee hearing
File Name: ph_020_017_002
Material Type: Photograph
Date: 1980
Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 20, Folder 17, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Senator Bob Dole and Senator George McGovern at a Senate Hearing
File Name: ph_020_017_001
Material Type: Photograph
Date: 1980
Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 20, Folder 17, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
A Look at Historical United States Food Stamps, Coupons, and Cards
File Name: ME19.07338
Material Type: Object
Date: Undated
Citation: Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Atchison, Kansas, Anti-Food Stamps Letter and Senator Bob Dole's Reply
File Name: s-con_259_009_001
Material Type: Text
Date: 1974-10-10
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 259, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Food Stamp Evaluation Letter and Senator Bob Dole's Reply
File Name: s-con_259_009_002
Material Type: Text
Date: 1973-07-01
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 259, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Letter from Garden City, Kansas Woman and Senator Bob Dole's Reply
File Name: s-con_201_006_001
Material Type: Text
Date: 1974-07-31
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 201, Folder 6, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Letter from Great Bend, Kansas Man and Senator Bob Dole's Reply
File Name: s-con_259_010_001
Material Type: Text
Date: 1975-01-29
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 259, Folder 10, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Letter from Wichita, Kansas Woman and Senator Bob Dole's Reply
File Name: s-con_259_010_002
Material Type: Text
Date: 1975-02-08
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 259, Folder 10, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Why Food Stamp Participation Will Never Reach 93-94%
File Name: s-leg_018_009_001
Material Type: Text
Date: Undated
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 18, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Letter from Senator Bob Dole to Herman Talmadge
File Name: s-leg_018_009_002
Material Type: Text
Date: 1976-03-22
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 18, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Editorial from Herman Talmadge
File Name: s-leg_018_009_004
Material Type: Text
Date: 1976-03-22
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 18, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Recommendation to Herman Talmadge from Senator Bob Dole and other Senators
File Name: s-leg_018_009_005
Material Type: Text
Date: 1976-03-11
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 18, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas
Statement by Senator Bob Dole, 'The Cost Estimate Game'
File Name: s-leg_018_015_001
Material Type: Text
Date: Undated
Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1969-1996, Box 18, Folder 15, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas