Food Stamp Increase To 47 Million The Highest Ever

To contact us Click HERE
Food-stamp use reached a record 46.7million people in June, the government said, as Democratsprepare to nominate President Barack Obama for a second termwith the economy as a chief issue in the campaign.
Participation was up 0.4 percent from May and 3.3 percenthigher than a year earlier and has remained greater than 46million all year as the unemployment rate stayed higher than 8percent. New jobless numbers will be released Sept. 7.



“Too many middle-class families who have fallen on hardtimes are still struggling,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsacksaid in an e-mailed statement today. “Our goal is to get thesefamilies the temporary assistance they need so they are able toget through these tough times and back on their feet as soon aspossible.”
Food-stamp spending, which has more than doubled in fouryears to a record $75.7 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept.30, 2011, is the USDA’s biggest annual expense. Republicans inCongress have criticized the cost of the program, and the Housebudget plan approved in April sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the party’s vice-presidential nominee, wouldcut expenses by $33 billion over 10 years.

Cuts Planned

Reductions to the program have also emerged as a point ofcontention in debate over a farm bill to replace current lawthat expires Sept. 30. The U.S. Senate in June passed a planthat would lower expenditures by $4 billion over 10 years, whilethe House Agriculture Committee the following month backed a $16billion cut.
During the Republican primary campaign, then-candidate Newt Gingrich labeled Obama as “the best food-stamp president inAmerican history.” When the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People called his statements“inaccurate” and “divisive,” Gingrich dismissed thecomplaints as a smear from “modern liberals” who are “off thedeep end.”
Food-stamp enrollment is rising partly because the USDA ispushing higher participation too aggressively, giving governmentmoney to people who may not need or want it, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions said in a telephone interview.

‘Government Incompetence’

“This administration has been hawking food stamps,” saidthe Alabama Republican, who has called for lower spending on theprogram. “Every additional dollar in this program is borrowedmoney,” he said. “It’s one more example of governmentincompetence.”
Today’s report shows the two most populous states,California and Texas, had the most recipients. California wastops with 4.012 million, a 0.8 percent gain from the previousmonth and 7.3 percent more than the previous year. Texas was insecond place, while down 0.4 percent from the previous month and1.4 percent lower than a year earlier.
Louisiana and North Carolina, where Democrats are conveningthis week to renominate Obama, had the biggest monthly gains inenrollment, 1.3 percent. Enrollment fell the most in Utah, down1.4 percent from May, followed by Idaho and Ohio.
Spending on what’s officially called the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program totaled $6.21 billion in June, 0.4percent higher than the previous month and 2.8 percent more thana year earlier. The record is $6.26 billion spent in September2011.