Casey introduces bill to restore food stamp benefits
November 01, 2013 | 05:14 PM
As the Recovery Act increase in food stamp benefits expired today, economists began coming to terms with the cut and potential bigger cuts in the farm bill, Sen. Bob Casey, R-Pa., introduced a bill that would restore those benefits retroactively, and a key anti-hunger group urged no further cuts.
“This could potentially affect consumption of food as well as nonfood items, as individuals may maintain the same food intake but reduce spending on other items,” Michael Feroli, the chief United States economist at JPMorgan Chase, told The New York Times.
During a press conference with anti-hunger advocates at a ShopRite store in Philadelphia, Casey unveiled his legislation to maintain the benefit levels for one year.
“The SNAP program plays a critical role in the battle against hunger for children, seniors and families across Pennsylvania and throughout our nation,” Casey said. “The expiration of increased SNAP benefits at this time will also have a negative impact on Pennsylvania’s economy. For every dollar invested in this program, it is estimated that the economy gets $1.75 in return. The program fuels consumer spending while providing much needed nutrition for 1.7 million Pennsylvanians.”
The Food Research and Action Center noted that the Recovery Act stimulus would have lasted longer but that Congress decided to use some of the budget authority to pay for teacher salaries and to fund a 6 cent increase in the amount that schools get reimbursed for school lunches.
“Though the Great Recession is technically over, the recovery is painfully slow,” FRAC President Jim Weill said.
“Faced with continuing high levels of unemployment, part-time work, stagnant or decreasing wages, and resulting poverty and food insecurity, this decrease in food benefits will have devastating impacts on the nutrition and health of millions of households, including children, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, unemployed workers and workers not earning a decent wage,” Weill said.
“And even as these cuts are going into effect and families across the country are trying to figure out how to further stretch their impossibly tight food budgets, Congress is discussing even more drastic cuts to SNAP,” he said. “The House and Senate Farm Bill conferees must put politics behind them and produce a bill that does not further hurt low-income people struggling to eat, but rather moves us toward ending hunger in our nation of plenty.”
FRAC also published a guide to help food stamp beneficiaries make sure they are claiming all their allowable income deductions to keep benefits as high as possible.
“This could potentially affect consumption of food as well as nonfood items, as individuals may maintain the same food intake but reduce spending on other items,” Michael Feroli, the chief United States economist at JPMorgan Chase, told The New York Times.
During a press conference with anti-hunger advocates at a ShopRite store in Philadelphia, Casey unveiled his legislation to maintain the benefit levels for one year.
“The SNAP program plays a critical role in the battle against hunger for children, seniors and families across Pennsylvania and throughout our nation,” Casey said. “The expiration of increased SNAP benefits at this time will also have a negative impact on Pennsylvania’s economy. For every dollar invested in this program, it is estimated that the economy gets $1.75 in return. The program fuels consumer spending while providing much needed nutrition for 1.7 million Pennsylvanians.”
The Food Research and Action Center noted that the Recovery Act stimulus would have lasted longer but that Congress decided to use some of the budget authority to pay for teacher salaries and to fund a 6 cent increase in the amount that schools get reimbursed for school lunches.
“Though the Great Recession is technically over, the recovery is painfully slow,” FRAC President Jim Weill said.
“Faced with continuing high levels of unemployment, part-time work, stagnant or decreasing wages, and resulting poverty and food insecurity, this decrease in food benefits will have devastating impacts on the nutrition and health of millions of households, including children, veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, unemployed workers and workers not earning a decent wage,” Weill said.
“And even as these cuts are going into effect and families across the country are trying to figure out how to further stretch their impossibly tight food budgets, Congress is discussing even more drastic cuts to SNAP,” he said. “The House and Senate Farm Bill conferees must put politics behind them and produce a bill that does not further hurt low-income people struggling to eat, but rather moves us toward ending hunger in our nation of plenty.”
FRAC also published a guide to help food stamp beneficiaries make sure they are claiming all their allowable income deductions to keep benefits as high as possible.
