Global Courant 2023-04-17 19:22:56
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., will lead a Senate panel later this week in examining federal food benefits in what will be his first hearing as chairman of a congressional subcommittee.
Fetterman is expected to return to Capitol Hill today after being away for two months for treatment for depression at Walter Reed Medical Center.
In a statement released Monday morning, his office confirmed that Fetterman would preside over his first hearing on Wednesday and hammered on Republicans’ push for stricter work requirements for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Food Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
PENNSYLVANIA SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN LEAVED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., will preside at his first subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“Cut off SNAP for families and kids while passing tax cuts for billionaires?” Fetterman’s brief statement began. “Not on my watch.”
“Senator Fetterman will preside at his first subcommittee hearing on Wednesday in the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics and Research. A hearing will focus specifically on SNAP and the critical assistance it provides to working families through the coming Farm Bill.’ his office added in the press release.
FETTERMAN EXPECTS BACK ‘SOON’ AFTER WEEKS OF INPATIENT TREATMENT AT WALTER REED FOR DEPRESSION AFTER A STROKE
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earlier this month after being treated for depression. (Fetterman’s office)
The freshman senator scored a valuable subcommittee hammer after flipping Pennsylvania’s Senate seat in last year’s midterm elections, a pivotal victory for the growing Democrat majority in the upper chamber of Congress.
Days before his May primary against former House Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., Fetterman suffered a stroke that took him off the campaign trail until August.
MYSTERY SWIRLES AS FETTERMAN CO-SPONSOR LEGISLATION WHILE HOSPITALIZED FOR DEPRESSION: ‘VERY UNUSUAL’
Adjustments had been made in the Senate to help ease Fetterman’s ongoing auditory processing difficulties. Those include live transcripts for committees he sits on and a captioned monitor, according to a February report in the Washington Post.
Senator John Fetterman scored a gavel after winning a pivotal Democrat victory in the Pennsylvania Senate race against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, pictured here. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
At his hearing on Wednesday, senators are expected to discuss the House’s Republican plans to impose tougher job requirements on people eligible for the federal SNAP program.
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House GOP lawmakers floated the idea in exchange for agreeing to raise the US debt ceiling to $31.4 trillion, a suggestion Democrats opposed.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
