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Loading...Don’t Let America’s Hungry People Starve – Tell Congress Now!
Republicans may have said repeatedly that they want to save the economy, but that often seems to be the exact opposite of what they actually do. Here’s the latest example: the GOP would like to save the disproportionate defense spending by cutting food stamps.
That’s right: more than 46 million Americans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly the food stamps program, to help put food on their tables every day. SNAP has prevented our nation’s economic crisis from turning into a hunger crisis. But the House of Representatives recently proposed cutting more than $169 billion from SNAP.
Cuts to SNAP, particularly at a time of continued high unemployment and unprecedented need for food assistance, are a moral outrage.
In a memo sent to members last month instructing them how to write their reconciliation bill, Republicans picked a number of targets, including extracting $80 billion from federal workers and $44 billion from health care. In all, it identifies $78 billion to cut in 2013, and details around $300 billion over 10 years.
But the memo spends the most time targeting food stamps, on which more Americans rely than ever.
Each month during fiscal 2011, an average of 45 million mostly poor Americans received benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, at a cost of $78 billion to the federal government. Last year’s SNAP participation represented a 70 percent increase from 2007, and the highest enrollment the program has ever seen. In that time, the cost of the program more than doubled.
You might suppose that Republican Congresspeople would be concerned, not to mention ashamed, that so many U.S. citizens are so poor that they must depend on food stamps.
But you would be wrong. Not only have Republicans failed to support a single plan that might help average Americans get back on their feet, but they are also determined to protect and increase their giant defense budget.
So who will pick up the tab for America’s poor people?
Some members of Congress have suggested that churches should be primarily responsible for feeding hungry people. The devastating proposed cuts by the House Budget and House Agriculture Committees to SNAP would mean on average every church in the country would have to come up with approximately $50,000 dedicated to feeding people — every year for the next 10 years to make up for the cuts.
That’s outrageous! Churches are already responding to unprecedented need, but this burden is more than they can bear and it’s our poorest and most vulnerable who will be harmed.
If you think that what some members of the GOP are suggesting is outrageous, please sign our petition telling Congress that churches can’t be the only ones responsible for feeding hungry people.
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Republicans Slash Food Stamps Just Because
Read more: bread for the world, food stamps, republicans, ryan budget, SNAP program, war on women
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+ add your ownGOP will starve the poor, the eradication of food stamps is a primary Repugliscum goal. The neo-con vultures plan to eliminate social security is a broader agenda to enslave the working poor, imprison the homeless and place the Wall street vampires and the Vulture Corporations in charge of the country. The 2 KOCHroaches, the Big banks, the Weapons Industry. No food for the poor.
the "fat" cats in ALL of politics should cut down to a meal a day.Also,cut out the limos,limo drivers,expensive suits,trips,etc.etc.Only when they MUST go hungry,will they understand! Too much is thrown out...Churches feeding the hungry? Our food pantry was feeding another church plus the community plus our own congregation.Only Christ was able to feed masses with little.
How do you know who to send money to? Africa gives it to their Blood Diamond army people.
Where do you send the money?
How do you know who to send money to? Africa gives it to their Blood Diamond army people.
Where do you send the money?
The thing is I grew up on food stamps. And I'm here to tell you you are already starving just to qualify for them! Problem is the government dosen't care. It's up to us to care about ourselves and get the attitude forget the government. They won't do anything anyway.All they will do is ensure they and theirs don't wind up on food stamps!
Signed. Thanks for posting.
@ Turid K…Snakker du Engelsk ? This is not a time for sentimentality, but you will find a lot of it on this website.. There are an unsustainable number of people in the world. The corporate sector is out to save themselves at the expense of anyone with other motives. There has been no effort to stop or slow the destruction of everything to love on our only planet. Be glad that you aren't younger.
@ Ken S “The meek shall inherit the earth” Now we see the purpose of religion. It is questionable that the meek would want to inherit the earth after the 1% have finished turning it into garbage. With so many hungry people, welcoming even more people to line up at the food banks has to be classified as insanity. We are told that they are needed for the work force of the future. We ar also told that there will be severe unemployment for another ten years. So corporations have ten years to continue feverishly commissioning innovations to make the work force of the future redundant. Today, tomatoes are mechanically harvested and tomatoes have been altered to make this profitable. Three cheers for technology.
@ Ken S “The meek shall inherit the earth” Now we see the purpose of religion. It is questionable that the meek would want to inherit the earth after the 1% have finished turning it into garbage. With so many hungry people, welcoming even more people to line up at the food banks has to be classified as insanity. We are told that they are needed for the work force of the future. We ar also told that there will be severe unemployment for another ten years. So corporations have ten years to continue feverishly commissioning innovations to make the work force of the future redundant. Today, tomatoes are mechanically harvested and tomatoes have been altered to make this profitable. Three cheers for technology.
@ Ken S “The meek shall inherit the earth” Now we see the purpose of religion. It is questionable that the meek would want to inherit the earth after the 1% have finished turning it into garbage. With so many hungry people, welcoming even more people to line up at the food banks has to be classified as insanity. We are told that they are needed for the work force of the future. We ar also told that there will be severe unemployment for another ten years. So corporations have ten years to continue feverishly commissioning innovations to make the work force of the future redundant. Today, tomatoes are mechanically harvested and tomatoes have been altered to make this profitable. Three cheers for technology.
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