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Sen. Jon Tester was not allowed to bring an amendment inserting his Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 into the bill. That bill combined 20 Democratic and Republican bills for improving hunter access to public lands, funding shooting ranges, and supporting fish and bird habitat programs. It was among about 300 proposed amendments that Senate leaders pared down to 70. ... The bipartisanship seen in the Senate may be less evident in the House, where conservatives are certain to resist the bill’s costs, particularly for food stamps. Food stamp spending has doubled in the past five years, and beneficiaries have grown from...

A nightclub in Montgomery, Ala. is raising eyebrows by hosting a “Food Stamp Friday” party on April 6 that seems to glamorize life on the federal government’s food assistance program. An invitation for the April 6 party obtained by The Daily Caller tells patrons of the Rose Supper Club in North Montgomery that the Friday night cover charge will be just $5 if a “food stamp card” is shown upon arrival. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed for Americans living at near-poverty levels. According to the flashy, postcard-size flier advertising the party, there will be “free shots at...

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Throughout the primary campaign Rick Santorum has regularly criticized President Obama, pointing at the rapid rise in the number of Americans receiving food stamps under his administration (a 44 percent increase since January 2009). He’s promised to cut the food stamps program significantly should he be elected president, questioning how a nation struggling with obesity can justify doling out a benefit meant to alleviate hunger to nearly one-sixth of it’s population. While Santorum’s position is in line with the other candidates in the GOP field, there may be no one left in the race, including the President himself, who is...

Federal officials on Friday rejected Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to bar New York City’s food stamp users from buying soda and other sugary drinks with their benefits. (...) Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, said in a statement that the United States Department of Agriculture “has a longstanding tradition of supporting and promoting incentive-based solutions that are better suited for the working families, elderly and other low-income individuals” who rely on food stamps. “We are confident that we can solve the problem of obesity and promote good nutrition and health for all Americans and stand ready to work with...

Food stamp use doubles in county By Stephanie Taylor Staff Writer Published: Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 3:30 a.m. The amount of money for food assistance given to Tuscaloosa County residents has more than doubled in the past five years. In September 2005, residents from 7,672 households in the county received $1.6 million in money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. By September this year, that number had risen to 11,750 households receiving $3.5 million, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. “A lot of people I see, it’s the first time they’ve had to ask for assistance with...

Federal agents seized computers and records Friday from three Somali businesses that provide money wire transfers. Under warrants obtained through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, agents searched the Al-Amin Halaal Market on St. John Street, the Dahabshil Inc. money transfer business ... The focus of the investigation was unclear. The warrant for Al-Amin referred to any information relating to the wire transfer business, or to food stamp fraud... More than 20 agents searched the Dahabshil business, showing up at 9 a.m. and staying until about 3 p.m.,

US families turn to food stamps as wages drop By Sarah O’Connor in Washington Published: September 4 2009 20:10 | Last updated: September 4 2009 20:47 The number of working Americans turning to free government food stamps has surged as their hours and wages erode, in a stark sign that the recession is inflicting pain on the employed as well as the newly jobless. While the increase in take-up is often attributed to the sharp rise in unemployment – which on Friday hit 9.7 per cent – the Financial Times has learnt that some 40 per cent of the families...

Massachusetts, which earlier this decade had the lowest percentage of eligible residents using food stamps, now has the fastest-growing food-stamp program in the country, a dramatic turnaround that state officials attribute to soaring food prices and a simplified application process.

Any U.S. Senator will get unhappy visitors now and again, but Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has had a tough couple of days. Everyone knew she would take heat for announcing Friday that she’ll give former judge Michael Mukasey a crucial Democratic vote in the Judiciary Committee for his confirmation as Attorney General. (Read her rationale for the vote here.) Sure enough, CodePink protestors went to Feinstein’s home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights on Sunday with a simulated waterboarding device so people could try it out and decide for themselves whether or not the interrogation technique amounts to torture. Several Democrats including...

Authorities here are charging Beverly Benford, a former Statewide Administrative Coordinator with the California Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP), with embezzling funds by means of false purchases going back to 2000. Benford, 65, has pleaded not guilty. While she deals with the justice system, the nutrition program can serve an educational purpose. The FSNEP is part of the federal Food Stamp Program (FSP), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which claims that in 2006 the FSP assisted approximately 26 million people. "The Food Stamp Program serves as the first line of defense against hunger," explains the...