Farm Bill Deal Would Cut Food Stamps By 1 Percent

[cal04]

A House plan to make major cuts to food stamps would be scaled back under a bipartisan agreement on a massive farm bill, a near end to a more than two-year fight that has threatened to hurt rural lawmakers in an election year.

The measure announced by the House and Senate Agriculture committees preserves food stamp benefits for most Americans who receive them and continues generous subsidies for farmers. The House could vote on the bill as soon as Wednesday.

The compromise was expected to cut food stamps by about $800 million a year, or around 1 percent. The House in September passed legislation cutting 5 percent from the $80 billion-a-year program.

The Democratic-controlled Senate had passed a bill with $400 million in annual food stamp cuts.


http://swampland.time.com/2014/01/27/farm-bill-deal-would-cut-food-stamps-by-1-percent/

(snip)
Antihunger advocates like Mr. Berg say crop insurance expansion would come at the expense of millions of people who depend on food stamps.

The farm bill would avoid some of the drastic measures that were part of the House bill, like work requirements and drug testing for food stamp recipients, but antihunger advocates said the $9 billion cut would reduce benefits by about $90 a month for 850,000 households. The bill does contain financing for a pilot program aimed at encouraging recipients who can work to find work. Nearly two million people will be affected by the cuts.

“This vote is a tragic, heartless and economically counterproductive departure from America’s bipartisan history of fighting hunger,” Mr. Berg said. “Members of Congress who voted for this should be ashamed.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/us/politics/farm-bill-compromise-will-reduce-spending-and-change-programs.html?smid=tw-bna&_r=0


When are we going to cut their salaries

[JustAnotherGen]

1. No no no

Just no! We are too wealthy for any one American to ever go hungry.

[yeoman6987]

2. Food Stamps and Veterans

isn't there seriously any other way to "save" money. This is ridiculous. Heck even making a MANDATORY 1 percent tax (no deductions or wiggling out of the 1 percent tax) on all companies would help rather than the crap they are doing.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. +10000

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. $90/month loss for affected households

That's a lot when you're on the breadline.

[seveneyes]

9. $90/month loss is a 1% reduction?

The way I read this is a proposed 1% cut which is about 800 million for an 80 billion/year program. I don't see how that translates to $90/month cut. That would imply people are getting $9000/month for food stamps. The monthly average for a family is $133.00/month. http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/snapsummary.htm
Which would make a 1% cut about $1.33/month.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Not all recipients are affected

From the OP:

antihunger advocates said the $9 billion cut would reduce benefits by about $90 a month for 850,000 households

The new deal finds its food-stamp savings by increasing the level of federal heating assistance required to trigger higher benefits among recipients, according to aides.

Under the bill, a household would have to receive at least $20 in annual payments through a federal energy assistance program to qualify for a utility allowance, which, when deducted from a household’s income, can result in a larger food-stamp benefit. Some states currently give food-stamp recipients a nominal “heat and eat” payment of $1 or another token sum to help households leverage larger food-stamp benefits.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/01/28/how-the-new-farm-bill-cuts-8-billion-from-food-stamps/

Most of the savings will come by tweaking federal "heat and eat" benefits that House and Senate aides say have been exploited in recent years by several states and the District of Columbia to boost how much money some people receive from SNAP.

The changes will require the states and D.C. to pay more in "heat and eat" money, a move that will reduce, but not eliminate, SNAP payments by about $90 monthly for about 850,000 households.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/27/hemp-farm-raised-fish-food-labels-and-food-stamps-whats-in-the-farm-bill/

[seveneyes]

11. Details about the 850,000 households

Digging through the links and other pages, I can't find any details about these households and what qualifies them for the cuts. Other than this from the WP link...

"And in response to years of documented evidence of misuse and abuse of the program, USDA will need to ensure that illegal immigrants, lottery winners, college students and the dead cannot receive food stamps and that people cannot collect benefits in multiple states."

[ladyVet]

5. $90 a month?

I was going to post a rant, but you know what? What's the point.

[Eugene]

6. Congressional negotiators reach deal on U.S. farm bill

Source: Reuters

Congressional negotiators reach deal on U.S. farm bill

BY ERIC BEECH
WASHINGTON Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:02am EST

(Reuters) - House and Senate negotiators on Monday reached a bipartisan agreement on the long-overdue U.S. farm bill that ends a pricy direct subsidy to farmers while expanding government-backed crop insurance programs, and trims spending on food stamps for poor Americans by about one percent.

"We've got a bill that makes sense, works for farmers and ranchers and consumers and families that need help, and protects our land and water and our wildlife," Debbie Stabenow, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told Reuters.

The Michigan Democrat said she was optimistic that the bill would pass both chambers of Congress.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/28/us-usa-agriculture-farmbill-idUSBREA0Q1UI20140128

[JCMach1]

7. hurts the poor and hurts farmers...

[frwrfpos]

8. food is literally the last thing keeping people from violence

Take away nourishment from people,the last string many are hanging on to, and im afraid it will get ugly in this country

[moondust]

12. Attack of the vampires!!!

Everyone gather round and watch as the victims are trapped in abject poverty and have their remaining lifeblood slowly sucked out of them! Mmmmmmm!!! Glad it's not me this time!!!