Food Stamps
![Four men sit around a cluster of microphones, including Senator Bob Dole, Senator George McGovern, and Senator Daniel Inouye for the U.S. Senate Select Committee, Nutrition and Human Needs, 1980](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/16_9_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/food%20stamps.jpg?h=3d9e5bba&itok=PZfM2vNo)
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
![Bob Dole sitting next to George McGovern behind a table with microphones, name tags, and a pitcher of water.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/7_5_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/ph_158_001_004.jpg?h=aed89ed1&itok=fiLktBT5)
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
![an unknown woman, George McGovern, and Bob Dole stand in front of an elevated table, chatting with two or three men standing up behind the table. The table has microphones, pitchers of water, and papers laid before seats.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/7_5_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/ph_158_001_003.jpg?h=e28b8a8c&itok=4HF8Pxnj)
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
![Senator Bob Dole and Senator George McGovern sit behind a wooden panel with microphones](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/7_5_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/ph_020_017_002.jpg?h=c7b7d6fc&itok=twx8_jOO)
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
![unknown man, Bob Dole, George McGovern, and Daniel Inouye sit side by side behind a table with microphones, glasses of water, and papers.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/7_5_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/ph_020_017_001.jpg?h=aed89ed1&itok=9OiBgFSt)
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
![An exhibit display showing seven examples of food stamps, coupons, and cards since 1943](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/ME19.07338.jpg?h=0c4a6cb8&itok=LPWS-Q7E)
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
![First page of a handwritten anti-food stamps letter from an Atchison, Kansas, constituent to Senator Bob Dole](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-con_259_009_001.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=Q7kjY8j7)
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
![Form letter from a group of Sedgwick County Kansas constituents on Food Stamp Evaluation](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-con_259_009_002.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=46amuIqg)
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
![Letter from Garden City, Kansas Woman to Senator Bob Dole regarding the efficacy of programs that help the elderly poor.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-con_201_006_001.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=YmfWhGIx)
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
![Anti- food stamps letter from Great Bend, Kansas Man to Senator Bob Dole](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-con_259_010_001.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=BaprBzW9)
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
![Handwritten letter from Wichita, Kansas Woman to Senator Bob Dole regarding his vote on food stamps](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-con_259_010_002.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=-0yWsd1Y)
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%
![fact sheet explaining why Food Stamp Participation Will Never Reach 93-94% of the eligible population](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-leg_018_009_001.jpg?h=6b3f5d2c&itok=4nr82N-s)
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
![Letter from Senator Bob Dole to Herman Talmadge explaining the cost advantages to Dole's proposed amendment on food stamps.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-leg_018_009_002.jpg?h=2e8c6f72&itok=lfKeU9w-)
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
![Editorial from Herman Talmadge on food stamp reform](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-leg_018_009_004.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=NbagO0Ks)
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
![Letter to Herman Talmadge from Senator Bob Dole and other Senators requesting that the estimated budget for the food stamps program for fiscal year 1977 remain at the current services estimate, despite the likelihood that the committee would not require such a high spending level.](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-leg_018_009_005.jpg?h=b11b6166&itok=LSVkm5oa)
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'
![Statement of Senator Bob Dole, 'The Cost Estimate Game' which refutes statements made by a senator from Alabama regarding cost estimates for the food stamp program](/sites/doleinstitute/files/styles/5_7_placeholder_/public/images/topics/Food%20Stamps/s-leg_018_015_001.jpg?h=73426a60&itok=Ehf2KIf2)
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