House approves $40 billion cut in food stamps for the poor

Reuters ^ | Sep 19, 2013 | Reuters

[mdittmar]

(Reuters) - The Republican-run House of Representatives voted to cut spending on food stamps for the poor by $40 billion on Thursday, defying a veto threat from the White House in the name of fiscal reform.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the driving force behind the legislation, said "it's wrong for working, middle-class people to pay" for abuse of the program, whose costs have skyrocketed in recent years. Democrats pointed to nonpartisan estimates that the bill would end benefits to 4 million needy people in 2014.

[digger48]

NO ONE will have to be cut off if they would reinstitute limits on what can be purchased.

Soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream are food items and are therefore eligible items Seafood, steak, and bakery cakes are also food items and are therefore eligible items

Since the current definition of food is a specific part of the Act, any change to this definition would require action by a member of Congress. Several times in the history of SNAP, Congress had considered placing limits on the types of food that could be purchased with program benefits. However, they concluded that designating foods as luxury or non-nutritious would be administratively costly and burdensome.

................

Imma call "Bullsh!t!!!" on that part.

[oneamericanvoice]

Not everyone is a scammer. There are many who have been unable to find work (age discrimination, rampant unemployment, economy) who need food stamps.

[RginTN]

Lots of hyperbolic rhetoric from.democrats.

I know personally people who are selling their foodstamps. Lots of abuse going on.

[cripplecreek]

I want cuts in food stamps and welfare too but you need to start creating jobs first.

Doing otherwise just creates democrats.

[oneamericanvoice]

As I have said to others on this thread, not everyone is a scammer. There are many who need FS to survive. I’m glad you were never in that position. But there are seniors, students, people who haven’t been able to find employment who need this. Thankfully it won’t pass the Senate. In the meantime, the Dems scored big. Who’s boo-freaking-hoo now?

[Uncle Miltie]

Food stamp recipients aren’t poor. Many are just students who qualify for financial aid.

[TurboZamboni]

EBT...it's everywhere you want to be!

[Gabz]

And the headline about cutting the EPA would be that tired old line about how the GOP wants your kids to have dirty air and dirty water.

With the makeup of the LSM, the GOP cant win no matter what they do, so they might as well do it all - of course they won’t, but they should.

[LucyT]

How will some of them be able to buy booze now?

Or all channel tv, or cigarettes, or tattoos, or gold teeth, or glue-on fingernails, or illegal drugs, or ...

[kingu]

Food stamps have always been supported by the agriculture lobby. But in the Era of Baraq, they’ve become such a large percentage of retail food sales that all the stores are in the lobbying force also.

Just in case someone reading the thread isn't aware, food stamps are also used for buying fast food at the retail location, including the drive through.

While I'm sure that markets would be saddened by seeing food stamps end, I don't think they'd actually fight it all that hard; food stamp customers, even with EBT cards, require more service and generally buy less high value merchandise than other customers.

[TurboZamboni]

Mass Gov. Deval Patrick vetoes ban on purchasing tattoos, manicures, porn with EBT

http://news.yahoo.com/mass-gov-deval-patrick-vetoes-ban-purchasing-tattoos-163209275.html

it’s for the children.

[Lazamataz]

House approves $40 billion cut in food stamps for the poor

Reuters. Reuters. YOU ARE NOT DOING WHAT THE DEMOCRATS PAY YOU FOR.

Here is the CORRECT headline:

Demonic Republican Tyrants in Congress Strip Poor, Starving Infants of Baby Formula In The Hopes They Die, Wretched and Alone, On A Barren Rock In the Oppressive, Deadly-Hot Rays of the Sun, Which Are Made More Deadly By Global Warming That Republicans Are Responsible For, Plus I Think They Started AIDS To Kill Black People Because They Are Racist.

There. Wouldn't you agree this has a little more cachet to it?

[gov_bean_ counter]

They should be limited to the same swill the Wookie is trying to force down students throats.

Lets move, baby...

[digger48]

I personally know people who are selling their 120 Vicodin/mo that SSDI (aka taxpayer) is giving them.

$5-10 a pop is a pretty good income enhancer

[InsidiousMongo]

From the looks of the comments on Reuters, the Libs heads are exploding over this. Completely predictible. I have yet to see anyone step in and submit intellectual commentary on the article.

[digger48]

which my daughter can’t get because her grandfather pays her rent and I give her $100/wk

[tcrlaf]

“I personally know people who are selling their 120 Vicodin/mo that SSDI (aka taxpayer) is giving them. $5-10 a pop is a pretty good income enhancer”

Along with their taxpayer-paid Viagra. I too, have personally seen this.

[Theoria]

These 'cuts' are fine. But, not the real spending problems.

Where are the cuts of Social security, medicare, medicaid.

[huckfillary]

Every little bit helps. We have an entitlement crisis. I know we’ll never abolish the welfare state, but I think we should begin to differentiate between those who cannot help themselves and those who will not help themselves. One estimate I read is that about 80% of the people on welfare are ineligible by these standards. It wouldn’t surprise me. There have to be ways we can do this. It just takes courage.

[depressed in 06]

House approves $40 billion cut in food stamps for the poor undeserving.