The Trump administration's budget contains changes to the food stamp program that would involve recipients receiving boxes of food in place of roughly half of the money they normally get.
Now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the budget cuts the amount of money dedicated to it by $129 billion over a 10-year period. According to NPR, the proposal would apply to Americans receiving at least $90 per month. That represents more than 80 percent of the program's recipients.
The changes would include replacing about half of the money people receive per month with boxes of food staples — "shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans, and canned fruit and vegetables."
"The remainder of their benefit would go on the SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card for use at approved grocery retailers," the budget reads. "This cost-effective approach will generate significant savings to taxpayers with no loss in food benefits to participants. It will also improve the nutritional value of the benefit provided and reduce the potential for EBT fraud. States will have substantial flexibility in designing the food box delivery system through existing infrastructure, partnerships, or commercial/retail delivery services."
The USDA claimed states could likely deliver the food boxes at a cost that's lower than what the government would have spent per recipient under the current system.
Combined with other proposed changes to the SNAP program, the cuts would shave $213 billion off its budget over 10 years.
Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg told NPR, "They have managed to propose nearly the impossible, taking over $200 billion worth of food from low-income Americans while increasing bureaucracy and reducing choices."
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