Pingree to Vote Against Drastic Food Stamp Cuts
Press Release
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree had harsh words today for a Republican proposal to slash $40 billion from the SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps). The U.S. House is expected to vote on the proposal late this afternoon.
"The average family in Maine on food stamps gets less than $1.50 per person to spend on a meal. But somehow the Republicans think the program is too generous and they want to slash it. These cuts would mean kids, seniors and veterans would go hungry," Pingree said.
In Maine, the average SNAP benefit is about $125 per month. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, the average American spends $150 per week on food. Nationally, 900,000 veterans get SNAP benefits, but an estimated 170,000 would lose those benefits under theRepublican plan. Altogether an estimated 4 million people would lose benefits.
"The Republicans say private charities will pick up the slack but they've already done everything they can do. In Portland, Preble Street has seen demand at their soup kitchen jump by 60% in the last three years. They are already serving over 1,000 meals every day to people who are out of work or can't afford to feed their families even with their jobs," Pingree said. "If SNAP cuts send more people to soup kitchen, I just don't know where the money is going to come from to feed them."
Just over 250,000 people get SNAP benefits in Maine--about 1 in 5 residents. Two-thirds of the families getting benefits have children and half have at least one person working full time. More statistics on SNAP benefits in Maine are available here and here.
House Republicans have introduced a bill this week to cut $40 billion in food stamp benefits, which would force 4 million people off the program next year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Traditionally the SNAP program has been part of the Farm Bill, but this year House Republicans split the Farm Bill into two pieces. The first part of the bill was passed earlier this year, but conservatives have been opposing the portion containing the SNAP program because the cuts haven't been drastic enough.
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