The US Federal Government Debt Ceiling Agreement Bill passed the US House of Representatives on the 31st of last month (local time). It remains only to pass the Senate on the 2nd. The issue at the House of Representatives until the end was ‘food stamps (food coupons)’. The US administration of Joe Biden confronted ‘expanding welfare (food stamps) targets’, and the opposition Republican Party insisting on ‘strengthening essential labor requirements’ (for food stamp benefits).
Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a food assistance program for low-income people. It is a representative social security system in the United States that was officially introduced after President Lyndon Johnson (Democratic Party) declared a ‘war on poverty’ in 1964.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) logo. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture websiteFood stamps are provided in the form of food vouchers or electronic cards. You can buy all kinds of groceries, including fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood. However, you cannot purchase alcohol or cigarettes. It can be used not only at large marts such as Costco and Walmart, but also at convenience stores such as 7-Eleven. Online shopping is also available in all 51 states except Alaska. It is available virtually anytime, anywhere for groceries.
The range of food stamp subsidies has increased significantly during the pendamic period of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). As the number of unemployed increased, each state government temporarily eased the work requirements required to receive food subsidies. It is estimated that this prevented about 4.2 million people from falling into poverty during the pandemic.
The problem began when the Biden administration announced that it would stop emergency food stamp support with the Corona 19 endemic declaration. It is feared that an estimated 30 million affected people could be pushed to the ‘hunger cliff’.
One of the food stamp issues in this bill was the compulsory working age among the mandatory work requirements. The Republicans, who advocated cutting government spending, argued for raising the mandatory working age from the current level. Previously, people aged 18 to 49 with the physical ability to work had to work 80 hours or more per month or participate in a training program to receive food stamps. However, according to the settlement bill, the mandatory working age will be raised to 54 in stages by 2025. It also decided to reduce the number of temporary cash assistance programs for low-income families.
Demands from the Democratic Party were also partially reflected, and veterans, homeless people, and young people who had just come out of foster care were included in the food stamp duty exemption. It expanded the scope after exempting only those who lacked the physical and mental ability to work or were pregnant.
zoom inA meme about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spread online. The left ‘no job’ is a lot of food with support money… can be purchased, but the ‘office worker’ on the right exaggerates the fact that it is not. TwitterHowever, hardliners from both parties are still dissatisfied with the bill.
Hardliners of the Democratic Party warned that the bill would lead to food insecurity among the elderly, saying, “The government is taking food away from the poor.” It also argued that there was no research showing that strengthening mandatory labor requirements would increase employment.
The hardliners of the Republican Party are in the position that “we cannot give welfare to those who do not work.” Representative Matt Gates (Florida) criticized, “I don’t think hardworking Americans should pay all the social costs.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.