Day 1,045: Trump proposal would cut food stamp benefits from 10 million
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, with a litany of rich acquaintances, and (likely) none that live in poverty, it’s no surprise that Donald Trump has aimed his pen at the poorest Americans. Between tax cuts that overwhelmingly favor corporations and the wealthy, in addition to cutting of social services programs, Trump has caused Americans in the most dire positions to unnecessarily suffer.
That’s not stopping now, either. Proposed changes to the food stamp program would negatively affect 10 million people.
Over the past year, the Department of Agriculture proposed three changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps. The new rules create stricter work requirements for program eligibility, cap deductions for utility allowances and “reform” the way 40 states automatically enroll families into SNAP when they receive other forms of federal aid.
A study by the Urban Institute released this week examined the three rules in combination for the first time and found that 3.7 million fewer people would receive SNAP in an average month, 2.2 million households would see their average monthly benefits drop by $127, more than 3 million others would see an average drop of $37 per month, and 982,000 students would lose access to free or reduced lunches..
Three proposed rule changes by the Trump administration could cause millions of poor people to lose access to food stamps and decrease the size of the benefit for millions more.
Trump is taking food out of the mouths and money out of the pockets of the most vulnerable citizens. All so he can pay for the aforementioned tax cuts for his buddies.
The effect is devastating in more ways than just day-to-day livelihoods. As people become more food insecure, they suffer additional health issues. Those weigh heavily on their wallets, as well as the health infrastructure as a whole.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue bent over backwards to conflate the USDA’s informal motto of “Do Right and Feed Everyone”.
“With these proposed improvements, we will ‘do right’ by the taxpayers and restore the dignity of work to the able-bodied who receive SNAP benefits. And, we will ‘feed everyone’ by ensuring the health and stability of SNAP for those who truly need it.”
Perdue, a multimillionaire, is arguing that “Do Right” doesn’t mean making sure that poor and vulnerable Americans can eat. He is also arguing that “Feed Everyone” means “feed some.”
His statements are obviously farcical on their face, but that’s par for the course from the current administration.
Access to food is an issue that affects Americans from across the country. Hunger and poverty is apolitical, and Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike suffer. Trump’s most recent proposal is especially cruel in that it will make the most susceptible Americans even more likely to go hungry and get sick.
1,045 days in, 417 to go
Follow us on Twitter at @TrumpTimer
