State of the Union.

An Ongoing Discussion/Moment of Clarity.

words.

"...House Republicans last week pushed through a bill that would cut forty billion dollars from the food-stamp program over ten years, limiting how long able-bodied adults could access the assistance and linking that aid to their ability to get a job or enroll in a job-training program. The measure isn’t likely to get traction in the Senate, but it has ignited a heated debate over the value of food stamps and the significance of the program’s growth.

Last year, the food-stamp program cost the federal government eighty-one billion dollars. More than forty-seven million Americans rely on food stamps; for America’s poor, it is the most successful and comprehensive part of the modern safety net, expanding automatically as need expands. Food stamps also help sustain the economies of low-income neighborhoods, since the money is often spent in those areas’ local stores.

Those who believe food-stamp spending is too high sometimes argue that, if the government were to spend less on the program, people would simply work harder so they could buy their own food, or else they would get food from food pantries and other charities. That’s not true in many cases. Delgado probably can’t work, and millions of others are trying to find work without success—or have jobs but are paid such low wages that they still qualify for public assistance..."

THE NEW YORKER: Why Food Stamps Matter