2017 NJ Governor's race: on Welfare & Poverty


Chris Christie: Food stamps recipients must be in job training programs

Leaders hailed the opening of a new program designed to help impoverished people get jobs or training so they can remain qualified for food stamps. The pilot program uses private donations to fund jobs & job training to people receiving benefits from the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (formerly "food stamps").

Under federal requirements, recipients must have a job or be in a training program to be eligible for the benefit. New Jersey had waived that requirement because of the weak economy, but last year Gov. Chris Christie's administration refused to extend that waiver. Elected officials gathered to kick off the SNAP Employment and Demonstration Project, the result of legislation sponsored by state senator Ray Lesniak.

Lesniak said, "It matches private sector money to federal money--at no costs to the state--in funding job training for SNAP recipients." Lesniak said 11,000 people statewide would lose their food stamps unless they get jobs or are in training programs.

Source: Newark Star-Ledger on 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial race Mar 10, 2016

Ray Lesniak: Private donations for job training for SNAP recipients

Leaders hailed the opening of a new program designed to help impoverished people get jobs or training so they can remain qualified for food stamps. The pilot program uses private donations to fund jobs & job training to people receiving benefits from the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP (formerly "food stamps").

Under federal requirements, recipients must have a job or be in a training program to be eligible for the benefit. New Jersey had waived that requirement because of the weak economy, but last year Gov. Chris Christie's administration refused to extend that waiver. Elected officials gathered to kick off the SNAP Employment and Demonstration Project, the result of legislation sponsored by state senator Ray Lesniak.

Lesniak said, "It matches private sector money to federal money--at no costs to the state--in funding job training for SNAP recipients." Lesniak said 11,000 people statewide would lose their food stamps unless they get jobs or are in training programs.

Source: Newark Star-Ledger on 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial race Mar 10, 2016

  • The above quotations are from 2017 New Jersey Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
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Candidates and political leaders on Welfare & Poverty:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Jul 26, 2019