food stamps

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Food Stamps Get Biggest Increase in History

White House raises average monthly benefits from $121 to $157

(Newser) - The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families—the largest single increase in the program's history, per the AP . Starting in October, average benefits for food stamps—officially known as the SNAP program—will rise more...

Governors Plead for Urgent Changes to Food Aid

For example, only 6 states allow people in program to order groceries online

(Newser) - Going out to buy food terrifies Yvonne Knight, a 38-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, but she is one of millions of people who receive food aid through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that can't be used in flexible ways. "Every time I go out, I put myself...

New Trump Rule Will Take Food Stamp Benefits From 668K

Administration says it will help people go 'from welfare to work'

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on the federal food stamp program will lose their benefits under a new Trump administration rule that will tighten work requirements for recipients, the AP reports. The move by the administration is the latest in its attempt to scale back the social safety...

USDA Chief: We're Nixing 'Loopholes' for Food Stamps

New proposal from Trump administration could kick 3.1M people out of SNAP program

(Newser) - A new proposal from the Trump administration Tuesday could cut more than 3 million people from the food stamps program. Per Reuters , the Department of Agriculture says a tightening of who qualifies for SNAP, aka the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, would save the federal government about $2.5 billion annually;...

Trump Administration May Get Its Food Stamps Wish After All

USDA proposal would tighten waiver eligibility on work requirements

(Newser) - It may soon be more difficult to get food stamps if you're jobless. The Washington Post reports the USDA has a new proposal that would tighten eligibility for food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and it's tied to unemployment. Under the current system, most adults who...

Trump's Plan: Deliver Food Boxes Instead of Food Stamps

But critics say the idea of an 'America's Harvest Box' is 'prone to failure'

(Newser) - Trump administration members are hailing their newest idea as a "bold" approach that would save the government billions and feed more than 38 million people in low-income households, but critics are calling it an approach that's "prone to failure." President Trump's 2019 budget plan was...

Even Some Republicans Say Trump's Budget Is 'Draconian'
Even Some Republicans Say
Trump's Budget Is 'Draconian'
The Rundown
May 23, 2017 12:49 PM CDT

Even Some Republicans Say Trump's Budget Is 'Draconian'

Proposed budget includes deep cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and more

(Newser) - The $4.1 trillion budget sent to Congress Tuesday by President Trump claims it will erase the national deficit by 2027, the AP reports. It will do this by drastically cutting programs for the poor, including Medicaid and food stamps, as well as decreasing funding for medical research, highways, and...

Tougher 'Able-Bodied' Work Rules Expected for Benefits

Trump budget calls for cuts in food stamps, Medicaid

(Newser) - President Trump unveils his first detailed budget plan on Tuesday, and word leaking out in advance suggests he wants big cuts for Medicaid and food stamps. The Washington Post reports that Trump's budget slashes Medicaid by $800 billion over 10 years, meaning he's on board with the House...

Families Can Soon Use Food Stamps for Online Groceries

The USDA is rolling out a pilot program this summer

(Newser) - Families who rely on food stamps may not be left out of the future of grocery shopping after all. A US Department of Agriculture pilot program will allow Americans in certain areas to use their food stamps at Amazon, FreshDirect, and other online grocery stores, Mashable reports. The program is...

Cops: Man Steals BMW After Trying to Buy It With Food Stamps

Luckily for police, food stamps don't buy gas either

(Newser) - Authorities in Florida have arrested a man they say stole a BMW after trying to buy it with a food stamp debit card, the AP reports. According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, 36-year-old Nicholas Jackson was arrested Friday and charged with grand theft auto. Deputies say Jackson was...

Bill Would Ban Food Stamp Sales of Steak, Lobster

But it's considered unlikely to pass

(Newser) - A new bill introduced by New York state Sen. Patty Ritchie would ban the purchase of "luxury food items" and less-healthy food choices through the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, the Daily Meal reports. The bill gives examples of foods that should...

Don't Mock Gwyneth's Week on Food Stamps

SNAP needs 'privileged, wealthy champions,' says columnist

(Newser) - Gwyneth Paltrow has undertaken that most favorite of celebrity challenges, living on a food stamp budget for a week—and so far, her efforts have been roundly mocked:
  • Her earnest picture last week of how little $29 will buy you included some weird stuff, like a bunch of cilantro and
...

1 in 5 American Kids on Food Stamps

Which is a huge jump over 2007's numbers

(Newser) - There are roughly 73.7 million kids running around America, and about 16 million, or nearly one in five, of them are doing so fueled by food stamps, according to US Census data out yesterday. That number is particularly alarming when compared to pre-recession levels: In 2007, some 9 million,...

Massive Farm Bill Passes After 3-Year Fight

Foods stamps cut, but by far less than Republicans wanted

(Newser) - Congress has given its final approval to a sweeping five-year farm bill that provides food for the needy and subsidies for farmers. Ending years of political battles, the Senate today sent the measure to President Obama for his signature with a 68-32 vote. The bill provides a financial cushion for...

$1T Farm Bill Slashes Subsidies, Food Stamps

Bipartisan measure is 2 years overdue

(Newser) - In another outburst of things actually getting done on Capitol Hill, House and Senate negotiators have rolled out a bipartisan farm bill—only two years overdue. The nearly $1 trillion, five-year bill cuts federal spending by around $23 billion, including about $8 billion from the food stamp program.
  • The bill
...

Forbes Writer to Daily Show: 'Food Stamps Are Cruel'

John Tamny: People don't like being 'reliant' on others

(Newser) - On last night's Daily Show , correspondent Jessica Williams looked into food stamps' rapidly shrinking funding. The program is dwindling exactly as it should be, according to Forbes columnist John Tamny , though maybe not for the reasons you'd think. Tamny told Williams that he thinks "food stamps are...

Fla. Rep. Pleads Guilty to Coke Charges

Judge gives Florida's Trey Radel a year of probation

(Newser) - Congressman Henry "Trey" Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession today, but will avoid jail time. A DC Superior Court judge sentenced the freshman Republican from Florida to one year of probation, and ordered him to receive drug treatment in his home state, the Washington Post reports. Radel had already...

Food Stamp Cuts Hit, Bring Per-Meal Average to $1.40

One in 7 are on the supplemental nutrition assistance program

(Newser) - The moment food banks across the country have been bracing for is here: Today, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program loses $5 billion in funding. The cuts will hit across the board, affecting all 47 million people—about 1 in 7 Americans and counting —who receive assistance, dropping the maximum...

Frenzied Shoppers Empty Walmarts After Food Stamp Glitch

Company decided to allow purchases despite card error

(Newser) - Thanks to a much-publicized glitch that shut down food stamp programs in 17 states this weekend , food-stamp debit cards stopped showing spending limits in some areas—and Louisiana Walmart shoppers wasted no time in cashing in on the situation. They raided store shelves at two different locations, causing such a...

Glitch Torpedoes Food Stamps in 17 States

Xerox said it had restored service by last night

(Newser) - You might think that the nation's food stamps program finds its biggest threat in the House of Representatives , but yesterday it was an innocent test of a backup system that felled the system in 17 states, including Ohio and Michigan. The system failure that began yesterday morning took out...

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