Giving money to low-income
Americans is highly
controversial. Millions
of taxpayers suspect abuse
misuse. Millions of others call
it an absolute necessity for
nutrition and survival. Food
stamps (instead of cash) were
designed to bypass that debate.
They didn't. Today, President
Trump and Congress are
considering major changes to
food stamps. To go back, food
stamps started during dire
times: FDR came up with the plan
during the Great Depression. And
like the name suggests, it
started with stamps. Little
orange and blue ones. Here's
how it worked: The government
bought up struggling farmers,
excess food at discounted
prices. Meanwhile, eligible
Americans bought orange stamps
for $1-a-piece. By buying the
orange stamps, participants were
forced to spend this stamp money
only on food and other
necessities. In return, the
government gave them 50% more
money in the form of blue stamps
that they could spend on
farmers's surplus produce. It
was a win-win: poor families got
extra food and struggling
farmers found buyers. As the
Depression ended, so did the
program. But JFK brought back
pilot forms in 1961, and then
LBJ nationalized food stamps in
1964. And since then,
there've been plenty of
changes. Jimmy
Carter tossed out the
requirement that people pay for
food stamps. Ronald Reagan cut
the budget and narrowed
eligibility. Bill Clinton
created a three-month
eligibility time limit for many
non-working adults. Under George
W. Bush, states completed the
switch from actual stamps to
debit-like cards (EBT), with the
goal of reducing fraud and
stigma. And Congress also
targeted stigma, changing the
program's name to the
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, or SNAP.
While participation surged from
26 million in 2006 to a peak of
47.6 million after the Great
Recession, the recovery has
slowly driven participation down
to below 40 million. Each of
these recipients receives about
$125 per month in electronic
vouchers. So that's where we
are. Where do lawmakers want to
take us? In Spring 2018, a
Republican House bill narrowly
passed that (to get benefits)
would require 20 hours of either
work or job training for most
able-bodied adults. Meanwhile, a
Senate bill with bipartisan
support which is necessary in
the higher chamber would fund
new programs to facilitate work,
but no new work requirements. As
for President Trump .. he's
been thinking outside the
box, or more accurately, about
a box. Trump suggests the
government ship boxes of food to
your doorstep think Blue
Apron. He's calling it
America's Harvest Box.
It would cut benefits by about
$17.2 billion in 2019. It's a
storied program, with lingering
controversy. Work
requirements. Job training. A
box at your doorstep. Food
stamps are in a state of flux,
yet again.
