editorial

The new farm bill's losers and winners

Posted

On Feb. 4, the U.S. Senate passed the farm bill by a 68-32 vote, which slashes $8.6 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade.

The cuts will reduce the benefits of an estimated 850,000 households across the nation, who will lose $90 monthly in aid on average.

In other words, as hunger across the United States rises, Congress believed it was in the best interest of our nation to save money by further depriving our fellow citizens who need help the most — more than two-thirds of SNAP recipients are households with children, while more than 25 percent consist of seniors and people with disabilities.

The number of households in New York State who must cope with the decreased assistance is roughly 300,000.

In New York City, an estimated 1.9 million are dependent upon SNAP — about 1 in every 5 residents living here.

More than 90 percent of SNAP aid goes to people living below the poverty line — $23,550 for a family of four, according to the federal government.

Of course, in the Bronx that amount of money goes much less further than in most other places in America.

Meanwhile, there seems to be little hope for families hovering around the poverty threshold as rising rents outpace hourly wages and steady, full-time jobs.

However, not everyone loses.

The new farm bill injects more than $1.2 billion over the next five years into programs intended to create jobs, invest in sustainable farming, rebuild rural communities and increase access to healthy foods.

Still, Congress failed to place any limits on commodity subsidies or crop insurance giving industrial farmers an even greater competitive advantage over mid-size and smaller farmers.

If for nothing else, we can thank our political leaders for their consistency in repeatedly reinforcing the strengths of our nation’s most powerful citizens while tamping down the most vulnerable.

If our government’s goal is to keep everyone in their place for now, prevent families from increasing their incomes, avoid debt and saving money, while further diminishing the middle class, they are succeeding spectacularly.

Farm bill, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

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