Among food pantry clients who have never applied for
food stamps, just under 41.9 percent report being food secure, compared to 25.5 percent of those who currently receive
food stamps and 21.9 percent who have applied but are not receiving
food stamps.
Now President Donald Trump's administration is proposing to end the practice potentially eliminating
food stamps for more than 3 million of the nation's 36 million recipients.
"I think it's pretty rotten," said Lisa Vega, a single mother of two teenage boys in suburban Chicago who applied for
food stamps last month after losing her job.
Perdue believes if they close this loophole it would save the federal government $2.5 billion a year in
food stamp spending.
The Trump administration said it will slash the amount of federal money going to
food stamps for these people by increasing eligibility requirements and by imposing additional work requirements.
The new rules would require stores that redeem
food stamps to stock a wider variety of meats and vegetables and sell fewer hot meals, including pizza and other tasty treats that are high in sugar, salt, fats or other not-good-for-you-stuff, the Journal says.
While it's no surprise that more Californians would sign up for
food stamps during the Great Recession between 2007-2009, the question remains: Why has the number continued to rise in the five years since the recession ended?
Previously, a drug conviction meant a lifetime ban from
food stamps.
New, streamlined application systems built for the health care overhaul are making it easier for people to enroll in government benefit programs, including insurance coverage and
food stamps.
LeNoir, the 114th NMA President, is concerned about the long-term impact of these reductions to
food stamp recipients.