Astonishing food cuts in McCarthy’s announced budget
plan here from POLITICO.com with this simple direct headline:
“Inside McCarthy’s controversial plan to shrink food aid”
GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt limit plans
include a politically explosive proposal to raise the age limit for adults who
must be working in order to receive federal food aid.
The controversial plans — which go beyond simply restoring
previous work requirements, as McCarthy pitched to voters in a speech — details still being finalized. It’s part of a broader effort by Republicans to rein in
spending on the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as
food stamps, that expanded significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it
could result in millions of low-income adults losing their food assistance.
Democrats are vehemently opposed to such measures, setting up a fraught
negotiation with the Biden White House as fears over a possible U.S. default on
its debt continue to rise.
Specifically, McCarthy is looking at raising the age limit
for work requirements for so-called “able-bodied adults without dependents” who
receive SNAP benefits — from 49 to 55 years old — according to the two Republican lawmakers and two GOP aides, who were granted anonymity to discuss
internal conversations. The move is a significant step beyond the “Clinton-era”
work requirements House Republicans say they’re pushing to restore, and will
trigger even wider backlash from Democrats.
McCarthy has made targeting these adults, who generally
don’t have children in their household, central to his efforts to shrink
welfare programs as he tries to balance competing demands from various wings of the GOP caucus.
Republicans who represent
swing districts President Joe Biden won in 2020 are wary of going too far in
tightening restrictions, prompting an outcry from some voters.
At the other end of the
party spectrum, conservatives are pushing McCarthy to pursue much stricter
limits on SNAP and other federal assistance programs. Given Republicans’ slim
majority, McCarthy can only afford to lose four GOP votes in the House, leaving
him and his team with very little room for error.
The speaker and his allies have yet to share a final debt
limit bill with fellow Republicans. A spokesperson for McCarthy’s team didn’t
respond to a request for comment about the plan.
Several members stood up during the House GOP Conference
meeting Tuesday and called for McCarthy to go even further on his proposals to
expand work requirements, according to two people in the room who were granted
anonymity to discuss internal caucus matters.
GOP Rep. Mike Garcia (CA), who represents a district Biden won said: “Yeah, I don't think that's an appropriate
conversation for this debt ceiling conversation at this point.” Garcia went on
to say that he supports McCarthy’s effort to expand work requirements for food
assistance for “able-bodied people of working age who can get a job” then adding:
“Now, if once employed, you still fall into those demographics, whether it's
age or whatever it is, and you're still needing assistance for food stamps,
then I'm supportive of that as well.”
GOP Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY), who represents a Biden district and is being targeted
by Democrats in 2024 said: “The conversation has been not to impact those
with dependents, and not certainly single moms. I just want to see what they're
actually proposing.”
Molinaro then also said he wants blue states, like NY: “To make sure those [SNAP] dollars get to the
people who are most vulnerable.”
When asked whom he considers the most vulnerable, Molinaro
replied: “That's a great question. Let me see what they're proposing and then
I'll take a look at it.”
Democrats, however, warn
McCarthy’s proposed spending cuts in the debt limit talks would slash other key
food aid, too. That would include programs with strong bipartisan support on
Capitol Hill like the WIC program for more than one million low-income moms, babies, and young children
would lose access to baby formula and food benefits, while
another million largely home-bound seniors would lose access to food through
the meals on wheels program, according to the Biden administration.
Senate Republicans have been generally skeptical of the House GOP effort to shrink food aid
via the debt limit talks. And, as McCarthy and House GOP leaders try to
push for a final vote before the end of the month, some key GOP members like
moderate GOP Rep. Don Bacon (NE) are starting to suggest Republicans could drop the SNAP
plans from the debt limit bill, and leave it for upcoming negotiations on the
farm bill said: “I’ll let the speaker and the chairman wrestle with that.” (Bacon
was referring to House Agriculture Chairman GOP Rep. G.T. Thompson (PA).
Thompson agreed that
he’d rather the fight over SNAP work requirements be left to the farm bill and
added: “But I don’t have control over the debt ceiling.”
Republican leaders are looking to reassure vulnerable
members about the scope of their SNAP proposal. Senior Republicans have been
telling members that work requirements for able-bodied adults without young
children at home are popular in swing states.
They pointed to a non-binding ballot initiative in WI that
advised the state legislature to require “able-bodied, childless adults to look
for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits.” The measure
passed with 80% approval.
GOP Rep. Kelly
Armstrong (ND), a top McCarthy ally said: “This is popular with
the American people. It’s smart policy that reduces debt and has a long term
effect on our workforce and economy.”
Senate Democrats, however, firmly rejected talk of new SNAP
restrictions on Tuesday, arguing what the House GOP describes as targeted
measures will still hit millions of vulnerable people.
Sen. Debbie
Stabenow (D-MI), member of Democratic leadership and the chair of the
Agriculture Committee that oversees SNAP said: “Let’s be clear, this is a
non-starter,” noting in a brief interview that there’s already “stringent work
requirements in place for the program, set to return in July after a pandemic
pause, including the able-bodied group,” then
she concluded: “Frankly, I don't think they understand that. And we're
certainly not gonna tie it to whether or not we default.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (D-IA) recently told House
Agriculture members who oversee SNAP that the “able-bodied” group of low-income
Americans without dependents receiving assistance is “mostly male and mostly
homeless,” including homeless veterans. People who have just aged out of foster
care are also in the group. This population of SNAP recipients tends to have
lower education levels, as well.
Vilsack also highlighted recent research that shows tightening work
requirements “didn’t impact the earnings or employment opportunities” for
recipients. Vilsack then told lawmakers: “So in other words, you can talk about
restraining that, but it’s not going to do what you think it’s going to do.”
As the former governor of Iowa, Vilsack also argued the move
would ultimately “hamstring governors’ ability to respond to disasters and
other crises” — since current SNAP exemptions are designed to help provide food
to the most vulnerable low-income Americans in areas with high unemployment.
Republicans argue Democratic governors exploit that exemption.
Related coverage also from VOX.com here.
My earlier post on McCarthy and his total lack of leadership here.
My 2 Cents: Simply put “family values” Republicans like
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have a simple message for the poor, low-income,
and needy Americans vis-à-vis SNAP (formerly the food stamp program) and other
public assistance programs for the most needy in America: Get a job or get lost!!!
FYI: SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or EBT,
is a federal program that provides monthly funds for people to buy the
food they need to thrive. More than 41 million people purchased food with SNAP
benefits in 2022. It is the largest program working to fight hunger in America.
The articles above show
McCarthy’s and other hardcore Republican’s true colors: Hypocritical RED.
So, I guess there are no
MAGA or RED-state poor people, low-income needy families, or people who will be
greatly hurt by McCarthy’s budget plan – which it seems is no plan at all,
except perhaps to keep tax cuts in place for the very well-to-do? Um, seems so.
Thanks for stopping by.
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