A long-running political battle over how much to cut food stamps could take a new turn this week, as the House is expected to weigh a Republican measure to scale back the program further than Democrats say they can accept.
The House GOP bill would cut spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by about $40 billion over 10 years, according to congressional aides from both parties. That is twice the amount that House Republicans aimed to cut as part of a bill scuttled in June amid moves by House conservatives looking to make broader changes.
Food-stamp costs surged during the recession, doubling to about $80 billion last fiscal year from $40 billion in 2008. About 48 million low-income Americans received food stamps in 2012, with an average monthly benefit of $133.
The new bill's passage would widen the gap between House Republicans and Senate Democrats, who have called for food-stamp cuts of $4 billion over a decade. But it would likely at least prompt long-delayed negotiations between the two chambers over farm and food-stamp programs.
Food-stamp funding traditionally has been wrapped into a broader farm bill that also reauthorizes federal support programs for farmers—a combination that has ensured support from both urban Democrats and rural lawmakers.
But the push by House conservatives to scale back food-stamp funding forced the chamber's leaders this year to divide the nutrition and farm programs into separate bills. Later, the House narrowly passed a bill just extending farm programs.
Conservatives are applauding the proposed food-stamp cuts and the move to consider them separately from farm programs. "It's a big victory," said Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman, one of about 20 House Republicans who helped craft the separate food-stamp bill with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.). "There's still a long way to go in both programs moving forward, but we've been able to double the savings in this House proposal," he said in an interview Friday.Read the full story HERE.
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1 comment:
It's about time...Food stamps were never meant to be something one could count on for life. It's supposed to be temporary assistance. Not a green light for many to go ahead and have more kids you can't afford because The Government will help pick up the tab.
I'd like to see rules such as: If your status changes; i.e., having ANOTHER KID that you can't afford, you're dropped from the program...the way it is now, you'd get a damn increase.
Am I wrong?
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