RADIO debate = WBUR Boston: The Food Stamp Cut And American Priorities
The Food Stamp Cut And American Priorities
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/11/04/food-stamps-cut-snap-farm-bill
LISTEN 47:16
Food stamp benefits cut and Congress considers even deeper cuts. We’ll hear the debate over national priorities, hunger and character.
Food Stamps, the SNAP program, is the largest US anti-hunger program. It’s designed to help the poor buy food. It’s hardly luxurious. The average household receiving SNAP benefits had an annual income of $8,800 in 2010. SNAP benefits have covered $1.80 per meal. Now, after cuts on Friday, that’s headed down to less than $1.40 a meal. SNAP is controversial because it has grown. Enrollment has doubled since 2004. The cost has tripled. Of course, we had an epic recession. But the heat is on. Up next On Point: Food stamps – SNAP – American hunger and American priorities.
– Tom Ashbrook
Guests
Eli Saslow, staff writer at the Washington Post; author of a four-part series of stories on food stamps. (@EliSaslow)
Rep. Peter DeFazio, Democratic Congressman from Oregon’s Fourth District. (@RepPeterDeFazio)
Michael Tanner, senior fellow at the Cato Institute. (@MTannerCato)
Eldar Shafir, professor of pyschology and public affairs at Princeton University, co-author of “Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much.”
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