The classic, found in a grocery store parking lot some years ago: 
Posted on 09/09/2021 5:15:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
Back in January, resident Biden issued an order asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to “consider” updating food stamp benefits to reflect “the true cost of a basic healthy diet.”
When your boss asks you to consider doing something, most employees—at least those interested in keeping their jobs—know this isn’t really a request at all. Fast-forward to August 16. Not surprisingly, the USDA responded to Biden’s “request” by increasing food stamp benefits by an astounding 25 percent.
That’s a massive expansion of welfare—and it’s harmful, misguided, and illegal.
If the administration were being honest in its stated claims of trying to improve the health of Americans who use food stamps, it could have worked with policy experts and representatives in Congress to come up with an effective solution. Instead, it made the misguided decision to bypass Congress and simply throw money at the situation with no strings attached.
This will not single-handedly solve the health concerns millions of Americans face and, in the process, the Biden administration is harming families by deepening their dependence on the government. Coupled with unemployment bonuses, the child tax credit, and other welfare benefits, this administration is working overtime to deprive families of the opportunity for freedom, joy, and self-sufficiency that comes with a path forward off welfare and into the workforce.
At a time when there are more than10 million open jobs in our country, this sudden increase in food stamps reeks of political maneuvering. It’s also against the law.
To pass legal muster, the policy must meet certain expectations set out by existing regulations. And that has not happened.
USDA defends its massive expansion by pointing to a provision in the 2018 Farm Bill that requires more regular re-evaluations of the Thrifty Food Plan based on “current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns and dietary guidance.”
But Congress’s direction to reevaluate food stamp benefits doesn’t negate USDA’s other procedural obligations. For example, USDA didn’t provide notice of the planned change or an opportunity for comments under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a federal law designed to prevent this kind of unreasoned, politically motivated executive action.
Under the APA, as part of the rule making process, federal agencies are required to open a proposed new rule, such as the change at issue here, for comments in support or opposition before making anything final. During this time, Congress, organizations, and other individuals are afforded the opportunity to make their feelings known and share their evidence. Yet they were denied this opportunity with this food stamp increase.
USDA’s new sweeping change also means it has abandoned its cost-neutral policy, a policy that has been in place for 45 years. This policy required USDA to adjust the value of food stamp benefits periodically based on inflation while requiring that the total value of the benefits be kept in line with what they were back in 1975, again, adjusted for inflation. To do otherwise would mean that the President would decide how much is spent on food stamps rather than Congress. The abandonment of this decades-old policy without a sufficient explanation, by itself, is significant enough to also trigger APA’s requirements for notice and comments. It also means that when this policy is challenged legally, it will fail the“arbitrary and capricious”standard applied by courts—a standard courts apply when determining whether a federal agency has followed the requirements of the APA in creating its new rule.
In case the violation of two federal laws is not enough, add into the mix that USDA is increasing benefit allotments beyond what Congress has appropriated and you’ve got a clear non-starter. As a matter of statutory law, if USDA raises the dollar amount of food stamps to a level that exceeds what Congress has appropriated, federal law explicitly requires that the amount be reduced.
Political convenience is not a legal defense for ignoring the law while blindly throwing money at a problem not to solve it, but rather to buy approval ratings. State governors and attorneys general wishing to preserve our Constitution, stop the endless cycle of government dependency, and ensure the Biden administration follows the law have the grounds to challenge this illegal action under the APA and other authority—and they must.
Socialism is the bait in the trap of communism so so good for the Marxist party.
Family size - current benefits - 25% increase:
2 $430 $537
3 $616 $770
4 $782 $978
https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility
Yowzers! That’s lobster every day of the week and the dog gets steak.
Hubby and I spend $300/mo. and which is less the the government’s lowest meal plan. We rarely eat beans but I’d been thinking of adding more beans and pasta to get the cost down.
It’s sickening they can use their cards at restaurants. Online price for a large one topping pizza at Pizza Hut is $15.99 ($17+ with tax). We had a bit of leftover meat from tacos last night so will use it for pizza tonight. That’ll be about $2 for dinner and a couple slices left for tomorrow.
Ack, that $300/mo for the two of us includes everything like tp, pet food, household, etc.
A 30 cent large russet potato weighs the same as a $3.56 bag of Lay’s. You can make 13 batches of potato chips at home for the same price as a 10 lb. bag of potatoes.
And they’re better!
Some time ago i did research into how agencies come up with such figures and the crafty way some agencies raise funds to "help the hungry" in the US use such findings and I found them quite contrived. How many Americans do NOT experience hunger, or how many well-fed souls would say they sometimes "do not have enough food of sufficient quality and quantity"...," or had to put things back on the rack because they did not have enough money (that can mean with them) to buy them all, or did not know where their next meal was coming from (that could even mean McDonalds, Papa Ginos, etc)? There is the relative poor, as we were growing up, but the figures are exaggerated for funding purposes.
At length examination here, by God's grace. Food hunger in America: More Hype than Reality. Why?
Tell us what you eat each day for frankly I find that as absurd, though soon it may not be.
Breakfast is two egg vegetable omelet with cheese and fruit
Lunch is salad with a protein (usually from dinner the night before)
Snacks include pork rinds, almonds, peanuts, and/or fruit
Dinner is usually a protein (red meat twice a week) with a vegetable
We do not eat out but maybe once every other week
Grocery receipts from the last 4 weeks were consistently $200+. It’s just the two of us.
If you live near a Fresh Market you might want to check them out. They have a few stores in Pennsylvania.
They are very expensive but they have excellent specials every day. Examples: Their wild Carolina shrimp (21 to 25 a pound) half price on Fridays; Wild Alaska cod, half price on Mondays,
Thanks.
The classic, found in a grocery store parking lot some years ago:
Back during the Nixon-Kennedy debates, Kennedy claimed that "each night, under your administration, X amount of Americans go to bed hungry.".
Nixon retorted "That's because they are on a diet."
Then you must be combining other items in with your food bill and or your food prices are much higher than around here , or you are the size of a NFL back. Of course I am under 5'5'' and around 130lbs, but normally you should be able to get many days out of two dozen eggs (3.00) and two pounds of grapes (2.50) and a lb. of apples (2.00) about 4 meals out of a pound of beef (7.00 or less), or frozen or canned fish (4.00 lb. or less) and a couple heads of lettuce (2.00), Add in a 24 oz. jar of pasta sauce, (2.00) a 1/2 Lb. of cheese. (2.50) 2lbs potatoes and onions (5.00) and a lb of carrots (3.00) and a head of broccoli (1.50) and some snacks (5.00: no pork rinds!) and than at less than $37.00 you should have enough for at least 5 days, or about &7.50 a day.
But if you shop sales and stock up on packs of things like pasta sauce from Walmart online then you can save more.
But thank God we have lived for years spending far far less, as missionaries without relying on state welfare, thanks be to God.
Wow.
This week Aldis has chicken legs for 49 cents/lb. I bought 30 pounds and froze them for our fall/winter chicken noodle soup and chicken stew. That’s a little over $14.00 for 30 pounds.
High five!
You will be quite surprised by the prices. However, sign up to see the daily specials - e.g. $5 pizza on Thursdays.
I will check it out.
Thanks.
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