Soledad grills Jeff Sessions: ‘You hurt people who need food’ with food stamp cuts

[Playinghardball]

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) on Tuesday faced tough questions from CNN host Soledad O’Brien for his plan to cut the food stamp program and “hurt people who need food,” including 20 percent of his own constituents in Alabama.

Speaking to Sessions in an interview on CNN’s Starting Point, O’Brien wondered if cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be on the table as part of the so-called fiscal cliff negotiations.

“Absolutely,” Sessions insisted. “This month was a record increase in food stamp participation at a time when unemployment is declining.”

“But there are people who say if you’re doing cuts, you invariably hurt people who need food,” O’Brien observed. “It’s 61 percent of households in your state have children who are recipients of the food program that they’re on.”
“Soledad, this program has been growing out of control at an incredible rate and there are a lot of people receiving benefits who do not qualify and should not receive them,” Sessions remarked. “No child, no person who needs food should be denied that food. Nobody proposes that. We are talking about an amendment that I offered that would have reduced and closed a loophole of $8 billion when we would spend $800 billion was opposed by saying it would help — it would leave people hungry in America, but it would have only eliminated abuses in the program.”

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1wzG1)

[BlueCaliDem]

1. We need Soledad in the MSNBC morning line-up - get rid of Chuck Todd!

She would be an incredible asset to the team since she's pretty moderate. If she's booted from CNN and replaced by the Republican shill, Burnett, MSNBC should hire her A.S.A.P.!

[macwriter]

5. You Are Soooo Right!

I've been thinking the same thing since rumors about the CNN shake-up started surfacing yesterday.

[renate]

9. it's kind of sad that somebody is considered a good fit for MSNBC just for speaking the truth

But it's true. There was a time when a good journalist would fit in at any news network, but no more. She's certainly way too good for CNN.

She would be great for MSNBC.

[The Wielding Truth]

2. Hello.. these are the working poor. Employed yet not making enough to afford food.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. AKA ...

walmart workers.

[The Wielding Truth]

14. Yep, and many other retail, clerk, office help and, customer service jobs.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

3. Are food stamps "entitlements"? Why is Jeff Sessions entitled to have military bases in his State?

It's time to cut the pork.

Or at least talk about it.

Where is President Obama on this? Why doesn't he want to even talk about cutting the entitlements of having military bases in the Red States?

[surrealAmerican]

6. He's so very tragically wrong.

Employed people who get food stamps are not evidence of "abuses in the program". They are evidence of a minimum wage that hasn't kept pace with inflation.

If you're going to cut off food stamps for this population, you better be raising that minimum wage substantially first.

[Skittles]

7. Sessions, like most wealthy folk, just does not fucking get it

wages are NOT KEEPING UP WITH INFLATION (HELLO, RIGHT TO WORK), and have not been for a LONG TIME - all it takes is a car repair, a dentist visit, health problems, to put people in the red.

[OldDem2012]

8. Sessions is a delusional right-wing asshole who has no clue...

....what's happening to the people in his own state, and evidently doesn't care.

What loopholes does he propose to close that will not cause some people in Alabama to go hungry?

[Whovian]

10. Sessions has long been willing to drop to his knees in front of his corporate overlords.

I really, really dislike this man. The comments at the link go beyond the standards here but you might enjoy reading them.

[DearAbby]

11. The bloody trophy they ask for to seal a deal

take a pound of flesh from the poor. Their base demands it, this is what years of demonizing the poor gets you.

Not one word about defense cuts, they immediately go for the poor. This is cruel and unnessecary. Ask yourselves...

[spanone]

12. you can bet ol jeff doesn't go to bed hungry....he's less than human.

[HiPointDem]

13. 60% of households in alabama use food stamps?

[Zoeisright]

15. Go fuck yourself Sessions, you asshole pig.

You can tell he never had to skip a meal.