Veterans Duckworth and Soltz: Food stamp cuts for veterans ‘unacceptable’ and ‘revolting’

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/29/veterans-duckworth-and-soltz-food-stamp-cuts-for-veterans-unacceptable-and-revolting/



Veterans Duckworth and Soltz: Food stamp cuts for veterans ‘unacceptable’ and ‘revolting’
By David Ferguson
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 13:15 EDT

An estimated 900,000 U.S. military veterans will lose some or all of their Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Friday. According to Think Progress, the program — more commonly known as food stamps — will be cut by $5 billion thanks to budget shortfalls caused by the Nov. 1 expiration of 2009 stimulus funding initiated by President Barack Obama.

Veteran pilot and Iraq War soldier Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org told Raw Story that the cuts coming Friday are unnecessary and unconscionable. Duckworth called the cuts “unacceptable” and Soltz questioned why Republicans in Congress are so “hell-bent” on hurting people in need.

“Cutting assistance to veterans is completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Duckworth. “Congress needs to find ways to cut costs, but compromising our care to veterans is not one of them. We must honor those who served our country and continue to provide the benefits they need. I am hopeful that my colleagues can come together and right this wrong by reinstating funds to the SNAP program to help our veterans.”

Soltz told Raw Story, “It’s revolting that so many men and women who served this nation in uniform are about to be cut off of the help they need the most for them and their families. What’s wholly irresponsible is for the Republican Congress to repeatedly reject the idea of a conference committee to pass a budget, which would help at least stabilize the economy, so many of these families could get off SNAP, and then turn around and fight to cut their SNAP benefits too. I don’t know why they are so hell-bent on hurting the American troops, veterans, and their families who are in need.”



unhappycamper comment: And in related news, the Navy just floated its newest $5+ billion dollar destroyer -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/11794884

[RandiFan1290]

1. It's "unacceptable and revolting" to cut them for any of us

Fuck the military fetish!

[brer cat]

2. I personally think it is unacceptable

that our government doesn't pay our military enough to not need food stamps. What are we...Walmart in uniform? Now that is revolting.

[KoKo]

3. Recommend.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

4. JESUS CHRIST!

The federal government needs to pay the military a god damn LIVING WAGE??? WTF??? are we WALMART? Pay them a living wage and then they wont need food stamps! Mother Effer!

[dotymed]

5. I agree,

both with the "Army fetish" and the comment on low pay for soldiers.
Honestly, as an ex-Army brat, I am not current in my knowledge of soldiers pay.
I do remember when my Father was an NCO. We didn't get food stamps and couldn't afford a car for years.
After he became an Officer, our economic life greatly improved.

I was under the impression that our "volunteer" Army (unemployment or fight corporate wars) paid decently (compared to many other jobs).

I believe that raising the minimum wage would save lives (if we stop exporting our jobs) because people could earn enough
money to survive and so many of our young people would not feel compelled to join the military for economic (and educational)
reasons.
I do support the Draft because if TPTB had children in the military, they might not be so eager for war. Also I believe that the resulting mixture of people in the military would result in soldiers that follow their moral compass rather than whatever brutal "order" that they receive.

[Scuba]

6. +1 on all points.