Changes to food aid in debt bill would cost money, far from savings GOP envisioned

[ificandream]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican attempt to expand work requirements for federal food aid in debt legislation moving through Congress would increase federal spending by $2.1 billion over 10 years — far from the cuts GOP lawmakers had promised.

A compromise on the food aid requirements between House Republicans and President Joe Biden as the nation nears a disastrous government default may have backfired for the Republicans, who won the new work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for some able-bodied recipients in exchange for Democratic demands to drop work requirements for some other, more vulnerable recipients such as veterans and homeless people.

An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released late Tuesday said that while the new work requirements in SNAP would save money, the added benefits pushed by Democrats would cost more — and add almost 80,000 people to the rolls in an average month.

(snip)

“Come see me in a year, and I’ll show you how much we actually saved,” (Speaker Kevin) McCarthy said as he left a late-night meeting Tuesday with his members. “You watch — a lot of people are going to get jobs now.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/debt-bill-default-work-requirements-food-stamps-a42064f794b4466903ca06ca140b9013

[bucolic_frolic]

1. I cannot conceive of actually being homeless

I guess you go to the store every day and carry around dinner in a rucksack.

Food is also distributed locally - meals, veggies - free, by food organizations, United Way, churches and the like. A lot of that is near expiration from food retailers and distributors, and is available to working poor based on income, at least in my state.

Republicans think work requirements magically motivate people and elevate them rapidly, sort of like trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy. I think Republicans have an exaggerated sense of the effect on government policy and tax changes for that reason. If you add $60,000 tax credits for high wage earners, they can see it and spend it. Give a homeless person a $10 an hour job, and he's barely better off.

[Sailingdiver]

2. They don't care about 'savings'

They have theirs, they don't care about anyone else, and those who are down can just suffer. The GOP way.

[KPN]

3. Yup, they're more interested in regulating poor people and those on the edge of poverty.

F'ers!

[mpcamb]

4. Kevin's thinking: "It punishes the right people...Hey, Let's go with it!"

[Midnight Writer]

5. Exactly. It is not about savings. It is about bullying people who are powerless.

[mwb970]

6. Do we have to keep learning this over and over?

[cstanleytech]

7. Cutting SNAP isn't about saving money it's about rallying the GOP base around a pretend problem.