Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Cuts to Food Stamps will affect Washington Families



The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, helps put food on the table for more than 46 million people every month, which translates into about one in every seven Americans. The program gives the opportunity for families to receive monthly benefits that allow them to purchase food they might not otherwise have the means to afford. 86% of the SNAP recipients are below the poverty line, and over half of the recipients are children. The food stamp program was expanded during Obama’s stimulus package, however, there are now efforts to cut the number of people who would be available to receive food stamp benefits. 

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to considerably cut the spending on the SNAP program by more than $33 billion. This would cut 11% from family’s benefits for an average family of four. The change will not only eliminate the amount of funding to families, but also make it more difficult for families to be accepted into the program. The "Ryan budget" would cut $133.5 billion in funding over the next ten years by creating a block grant system that gives each state a lump sum amount of funding. 

There are many risks involved with cutting the budget, such as increased number of starvation, homelessness and decreased number in those who can receive benefits. Eliminating this amount of funding would put families and their children at risk for not receiving the nutrition necessary in order to live a healthy lifestyle. In Washington State, 1.1 million people would be affected by the Ryan budget cuts and would decrease $2.71 billion in funding for the SNAP program. Families who currently receive help from the SNAP will suffer from not being able to afford food for their children and other family members.

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