A vote should come up in the House of Representatives this week that will slash $4 billion a year from the budget allotted for food stamp assistance that one in seven Americans currently depend on, according to the Associated Press.
House Republicans who support the bill see it as a way to save billions of dollars while closing loopholes that have allowed people to game the system and receive aid when they did not need it. Democrats who oppose the bill, and every Democrat in the House is expected to vote against it, see the bill as taking away necessary support from those who are in need, according to USA Today.
For the last forty-odd years Congress has packaged the food stamp program, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with agricultural funding so as to garner support from rural and urban communities. This summer the two were separated by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and the farm portion of the bill was narrowly passed in July, according to the Washington Post.
Most of the cuts to SNAP are made by limiting the amount of time that able-bodied adults with no children can receive the benefits and by no longer allowing states to waive the current federal time restrictions to help those who are unemployed in the sluggish economy. It would also place tighter restrictions, including drug tests, on those wishing to receive aid, according to the Washington Post.
While all of the Democrats are united against the bill in the House the bill does not enjoy full support from the majority party.
"I think the cuts are too drastic and too draconian," Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., told the Associated Press. "Those that really need the program will suffer."
Republican leaders who support the bill have repeatedly emphasized that the cuts to the program will not take food off of the tables of desperate families, instead it will only affect adults without dependents, according to the Associated Press.
"Politically it's a great issue," Rep. Tim Hueiskamp, R-Kan., said. "I think most Americans don't think you should be getting something for free, especially for the able-bodied adults."
If the bill does get passed this week it is unlikely to become law; Democrats in the Senate strongly oppose the bill and the White House has announced that if the bill comes to President Barack Obama's desk it will more than likely be vetoed, the Associated Press reports.
