Cutting SNAP benefits

[E]xtra [SNAP (food stamps)] money is gone now as the government winds down its pandemic assistance programs. The boosted benefits expired this month and payments are dropping by about $90 a month on average for individuals, and $250 or more for some families, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research institute.

[...]

The reduction comes as food prices in the U.S. continue to rise. Without the extra help, many people will go hungry.

  NPR

GOP: The poor don't deserve to eat. They should have thought about that before becoming poor.

Megan Sandel is a pediatrician and co-director of the Boston Medical Center's Grow Clinic, which focuses on treating malnutrition issues in kids. She sees a lot of heartbroken parents in her office.

"They're working sometimes two jobs," she said. "They have this, you know, young child that's not growing the way you would expect on the growth curve. And the mom will break down in tears and say, 'I just got my rent bill; landlord is increasing it; I can't keep up. And now I know that there's going to be one less tool in the toolbox to try and help this kid grow and get back on the growth curve.'"

Which goes hand in hand with the learning curve.

[...]

The assistance programs of the pandemic era were working — not just to uphold communities affected by COVID-19, but as examples of how long-standing issues like food insecurity and unstable incomes could be addressed as a whole.

But that safety net is fading fast. Gone are the extra unemployment payments, free school lunches for all, and the extended child tax credit. According to the Department of Agriculture, SNAP cost $119 billion last year with the extra benefits. That would equate to about 2% of the national budget for the 2023 fiscal year.

We can't afford it. We have tax cuts for the rich to pay for.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.