Food Stamp Cuts: 48 Million Americans Losing $5 Billion in Food Aid
Food stamp cuts went into effect Friday, effectively ending the 2009 stimulus package's benefits for food assistance. Nearly 48 million Americans will lose $5 billion in aid, which means less money available in an economic recovery that hasn't benefited everyone.
The food stamp cuts are historic because they are the first time the program has ever been significantly reduced across the board. One in seven Americans will be given approximately $10 less to eat per month, a family of four about $36 less per month, and a family of eight would get $65 less a month.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has been under increased pressure since the economic recession began in 2008. In Washington D.C. alone, 61 percent more residents use food stamps than did in 2007, according to The Washington Post. That will mean more of a burden on food banks, shelters and other organizations helping the needy.
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"We know that it's going to increase the people that come to us," Page Crosland of the Capital Area Food Bank told Stateline. "We're working around the clock to meet this anticipated increased demand."
SNAP is designed to help mainly children, the disabled and elderly eat, and President Barack Obama, House Democrats and Senate Democrats have voted against and actively tried to block cuts.
However, the program has ballooned over the years, swelling from around $20 billion in 2002 to $78.4 billion last fiscal year, according to Stateline. Some conservatives even feel the word "cut" is disingenuous, as the increased SNAP budget wasn't meant to last forever.
"It's a boost that was only meant to be temporary," said Rachel Sheffield of the Heritage Foundation. "They're not cutting the program."
Both Republicans and Democrats agree, though, that the SNAP program must be reformed. House Republicans aim to cut $39 billion over 10 years, while the Democrats in the Senate proposed cutting $4.5 billion over 10 years by closing a loophole.
