The U.S. government has been "hard at work" slashing budgets to bring down that pesky deficit. And it looks like the 47 million-plus Americans on food stamps are next in line to get shortchanged: the House of Representatives voted yesterday to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) budget by $4 billion annually.
If enacted, the legislation would slash $40 billion from the federal food stamp program's nearly $80 billion-per-year budget over the next decade, and would permit states to enforce stricter parameters for eligibility. Currently, states with more than 10 percent unemployment can waive a federal work minimum or job training requirement; the House's bill now allows for a 20 hour per week work minimum for "able bodied" persons with children over the age of six who attend school. States will also be permitted to drug-test applicants, and adults without dependents will no longer be able to receive food stamps indefinitely.
Not a single Democrat voted for the cut, and even a handful of Republicans voted no on the bill. But a strong push from the conservatives pushed it through with a 217-210 vote, though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the cuts will never make it through the Senate, and President Obama has vowed to veto the legislation if it makes it to his desk. "These cuts would affect a broad array of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, including working families with children, senior citizens, veterans, and adults who are still looking for work," the White House said in a statement yesterday.
More than 1 in 7 Americans are enrolled in SNAP, and in New York City alone the program feeds nearly 1.8 million people, including low-income families, the elderly and the disabled.
