Major Story Week 2

New Farm Bill Compromise a Mixed Bag: http://www.bread.org/media/releases/farm-bill-is-a-mixed-bag.html

The bill recently passed by the government has some positives but it also has a lot of negatives. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, provides food stamps to families with little to no income. The farm bill included an $8.6 billion cut to the program.

“Any cut to SNAP is harmful to America’s struggling families, especially at this time when hunger in the U.S.A. is at an all-time high.” David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, said about the bill. While the bill would kick any current members out of the program, it will cut benefits for approximately 850,000 households.

November 1 SNAP Cuts Will Affect Millions of Children, Seniors and People with Disabilities: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4036

The 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary boost in SNAP benefits ended on November 1, 2013, which meant a benefit cut for nearly all of the nearly 48 million SNAP recipients. Houses with up to 4 lost about $36 in monthly benefits. This cut affected people all around the country. These people include adults, children, elderly people and people with disabilities. The cut could make it even harder for people to put food on the table. Most people in this program have incomes below the federal poverty line.