Posted February 21, 2014
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and several other congressional Democrats have asked Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to delay $8 billion in cuts to SNAP (commonly known as food stamps), according to a NY Daily News article available here.
The letter to Vilsack stated: “Our states need time to adjust their policies to accommodate this drastic cut and roll out the changes seamlessly.”
The $8 billion in cuts to SNAP were part of the recently passed and enacted 2014 farm bill. In the letter, the lawmakers asked Vilsack to delay the SNAP cuts until next fall. The bill eliminates a provision under which anyone receiving help with utility bills can qualify for SNAP benefits.
Gillibrand says the cuts will cost 160,000 people in New York City an average of $90 a month in food stamps.
California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, also signed the letter, urging Vilsack to delay the implementation until the states get their next round of LIHEAP grants, according to an article by The Californian available here.
Rep. Kurt Schrader, an Oregon Democrat and one of the 41 farm bill negotiators, “said the heat-and-eat change was a crucial compromise that helped push the legislation through Congress.”
For more information on farm bills and nutrition programs, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here and here.
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