Posted on 08/01/2013 11:58:40 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor promised his Democratic colleagues that they would put the food-stamp portion of the traditional “farm bill,” which they split from its usual “agricultural policy” copilot earlier this month, on the agenda in short order. Republicans, however, have been cooking up a new plan for the food-stamp program just about certain to send all Congressional Democrats into an almighty uproar, via Reuters:
U.S. House Republicans plan to propose a $40 billion cut to the nation’s food stamp program, the head of the House Agriculture Committee said on Thursday, twice the cuts previously sought by conservatives.
Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said legislation on the food assistance program, known as SNAP, would be the second part of any talks on the U.S. farm bill with the Senate.
Lucas told lobbyists that a Republican working group agreed on cuts expected to total $40 billion and could include steps such as mandatory drugs tests and employment rules.
If this idea makes into the proposed legislation, I’m thinking it will easily make its way out of the Republican-controlled House, and then they’ll have both a food-stamp bill and the disgrace of an agriculture bill they already passed to send into conference with the Senate’s still-omnibus version. That will not go well.
Democrats are going to be having the obvious hissyfits about how Republicans don’t care about poor people and want to gut a program whose enrollment has grown by 70 percent in less than five years, the horror, and the White House will almost certainly issue their usual veto threat on anything that makes even the slightest attempt at reforming our broken welfare state. I can see Harry Reid now, with all of the moral outrage of one fighting a completely fictitious evil demon: “Youuuuuuuuu! Shall not! Paaaaaaaaass!”
100% pure BS. Just a snap shot for gullible Republican voters. The GOP went into hibernation Jan, 2009.
Reuters is really lying for the Dems in this article.
The 20 billion savings is over 5 years but they make it sound like it’s over one year.
If we had an honest media no Democrat would ever be elected.
the cuts would only come from tightening eligibility standards and imposing new work requirements.
The savings from doing that are estimated at about 4 billion per year. About 5%.
We could get over twice the savings by just disallowing sodas and snack foods though.
What? They want children to starve to death!
Sorry, no more FreeStuff. The average American taxpayer can no longer afford luxury items like TV’s, cars, housing, Whole Foods groceries, smartphones...or to pay for yours!
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Amen !!! Was out driving in one of our many welfare dense areas today and really got tired of seeing the Escapades, SUV’s, cadillacs, etc. driven by baby mamas and illegals. These people are putting one over on the American taxpayer.
Meanwhile, we drive a small compact and a 13 year old van around to save money and pay almost 40% of our income in taxes. I’m just dam sick of it — who ARE the slaves now??
RE: What? They want children to starve to death!
Let’s put it this way... if I gave my daughter a food allowance of $20.00 daily and I discover that she only spends $12 on average on food, am I starving her when I cut that food allowance to $15?
What do they look like? I've never even seen a "food stamp".
I’m just glad that The Food Stamp Program is NO longer part of The Farm Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are talking common sense. I am amazed at some I know who get food stamps, which don’t get them through the month and then they hit up the food pantries to get through.
Most of this program is abuse. I bet it’s well over 50%. In the old days they had to use coupons and could only buy non-prepared food.
Now they give them the equivalent of cash with an EBT card which are being taken for almost anything.
They need to ban the admin from cutting the benefits, force them to reduce the bureaucracy instead. Most of the money is eaten by bureaucracy
I would like to look into this. Can you give me a link where this is documented? I know a family of four, with income around $30,000, who get $204/month in SNAP benefits. I was a court-appointed guardian in the case. It is hard for me to imagine that they are taking overseas vacations now, or will curtail them because of a $50 cut in food benefits, but I guess anything is possible.
Haven’t most or all states converted to the EBT debit card now?
That’s my take too...
Do they have "illegal immigrant" posted on the rear window or how do you go about identifying them? Just curious. Hispanics, citizens or not, are known for running up high debt including vehicle finance. The loans are based on income from employment, not government programs. If you don't believe me ask a used car salesman. So I'm having trouble following your implication that the taxpayer is paying for these vehicles.
You're kidding right???
Get on any plane headed to and from Puerto Rico and it will be filled with EBT cardholders.
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