WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, issued the following statement about her ongoing efforts to reopen the D-SNAP program:

“Last week, I sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting that Texas be able to reopen the D-SNAP program, which officially ended on Friday, October 6, 2017. Fortunately, the USDA has been very accommodating and agreed to resume operations of the program for an additional three days and possibly more.

“State officials who will administer the program have assured me that it will be fully staffed in Harris County. I would like to thank both state and federal officials for their cooperation.

“The protocol mandates that the county must fill out the documentation and identify appropriate sites. It is imperative that selected sites be spread evenly and include all the areas impacted by flooding; including Humble, Houston’s west side, northeast, parts of southeast, and parts of northwest. The county must not single-handedly select the sites without engaging with the city of Houston to provide public sites, and with Harris County Commissioners who also have public buildings. Unfortunately, this has not yet happened.

“Hurricane Harvey survivors should not wait any longer for additional hurricane relief, especially when the federal and state governments are prepared to cooperate. A number of churches have already expressed a willingness to open their doors without cost to help the people that are still in need. I am looking forward to the county working with the city to develop these sites.”