The US Food Stamp Program is at stake this week! Please check out this article and petition in support of Food Stamps:
ARTICLE IN THE NEWS AND PETITION
Hunger shouldn’t be a political issue. We urge you to reject $39 billion in cuts to SNAP, and ensure that the 49 million people who are hungry in America – 17 million of who are children – aren’t left without life-saving, vital aid.
Why is this important?
In June, the House GOP tried to cut $20 billion from SNAP, the program formerly known as Food Stamps, and failed. Any rational person would say that they went too far – that we need to compromise. Instead, GOP leadership has doubled down on the crazy, and drafted a bill that doubles the level of cuts to SNAP. The GOP will likely bring the bill to the floor this week. We cannot – we must not – let it pass.
Earlier this year, I took the Food Stamp Challenge for the second time, living on $31.50 for a week to bring attention to the plight of those who live on SNAP. Despite what some critics like to say, the Food Stamp Program is not a government handout but it is a true safety net program that provides access to food for people who cannot afford to choose between rent, medicine, child care and transportation. And it is efficient: The National Journal recently named the SNAP as “one of the government’s top successes” and the GAO has repeatedly reported on the successes of this important program. According to the USDA, over 26 million people benefited from SNAP last year. Over 80% of food stamp benefits go to families with children. One in five food stamp households has an elderly family member, and one in four has a disabled member.
Increasingly, working families must rely on food stamps to supplement their wages in low-paying jobs. It’s time for a much greater public debate to take place around this issue. It’s time to end hunger in America – and we can do so starting by focusing on the Food Stamp Program. SNAP is our government’s first line of defense against hunger and malnutrition, and it should be better equipped to accomplish that task, not gutted for the sake of politics. Tell the House leadership that we need to End Hunger Now, not put millions more children and families at risk.
