According to the Associated Press (AP), the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) controlled House Agriculture Committee’s beginning to throw together a farm bill cutting $2.5 billion in food aid, because feeding the poor has become “too expensive”.
The proposed legislation would cut roughly 3 percent from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), achieving the cuts by eliminating “broad-based categorical eligibility,” or automatic food stamp benefits when people sign up for other programs, which more than 47 million people used last year, or about 1 in 7 Americans; because of the additional numbers needing help the cost has more than doubled since 2008 due in a large part to the economic downturn caused by the disastrous economic policies of the Bush/Cheney presidency.
God fearing Christian Conservative members of Congress have repeatedly attacked the President for daring to care for the poor by expanding SNAP, and many of those same white bread House members are refusing to consider a farm bill without cuts to food stamps. Clearly they don’t read the parts of the Bible where Christ said things like, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
“I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
“Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”
Funny how conservatives repeatedly thump their Bibles when opposing same-sex marriage, which by-the-way isn’t mentioned anywhere in all of scripture, but then conveniently forget about their Bibles when making cuts to programs helping the poor.
The Liberty Tree 
Judy
May 15, 2013 at 14:05
I think more than looking at cuts or adding funds, they need to reevaluate how the current food stamps are allocated. A family of four doesn’t need $600 a month in groceries, but that’s what they can get through food stamps. If families are going to get food stamps, I think they should also have classes on how to shop on a budget, or there should be more restrictions on what they can buy…no candy, soda, etc. Food stamps should be used to promote better health. No one should have to live on only beans and rice, but everyone can learn how to spend money wisely.
catsissie
May 15, 2013 at 14:20
Let every one of the people in Congress who want to cut this program feed themselves and their families on the amount of money currently allotted to the same-size family were they on SNAP. And let them shop, by the way, at the same stores, in the same neighborhoods, as they would have to do were they on this program, the ones in their districts. After three months of this, using no additional funds for eating (and yes, that includes at functions where food is served during fundraising, Congressional activities, etc…your constituents don’t get that privilege!) let us know if you think your constituents on this program really should do with even less than that. Next, if you want to see how the “real world” lives, shall we see how you do without your medical care?