Bipartisan Farm Bill deal to cut over $8 billion in food stamps
Source: MSNBC
The final version of the 2014 Farm Bill will include a cut of roughly $8.7 billion to food stamps, affecting 850,000 households across the country. Members of the House and Senate announced the deal on Monday evening, after months of negotiations over the legislation. In a joint statement, the lead negotiators stressed the bipartisan nature of the final bill, which is widely expected to pass.
“This bill proves that by working across party lines we can reform programs to save taxpayer money while strengthening efforts to grow our economy,” said Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat.
Households affected by the proposed $8.7 billion cut would lose an average of $90 per month in benefits. This latest reduction comes on top of November’s so-called “Hunger Cliff,” an automatic $5 billion across-the-board cut to every food stamp recipient’s benefits. The Farm Bill cuts would specifically target what critics have referred to as the “Heat and Eat” loophole, which allows certain classes of food stamp users to receive more in benefits.
Some states would be hit more than others. New York City alone could absorb up to 25% of the cuts, spread out across 190,000 households, according to the Food Bank for New York City. The staff of New York Democratc Senator Kirsten Gillibrand confirmed to msnbc that she would not be voting for the legislation.
Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/congress-set-cut-billions-food-stamps
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Spending is too low for the population we have, and to propose to cut it further by ANY reduction in food stamps is just lunacy. I can't believe serious people would sit in a room and not laugh in the face of the fool that proposed it, unless they are all in on a game to help the wealthy, who are doing just fine. Then, of course, it wouldn't be humor.
Nor am I enough of a bully to take food stamps away from this hungry woman. You? Anyone you voted for?
I am 51 years old and was laid off in 2008 from my job as a quotes administrator with a large aerospace company. I have some technical trade school certifications and have been working since I was 14 years old. I have been looking for a job for over 5 years now and have had two interviews in that whole period of time. I lost my job first, then I lost my home, my husband, my car, and my world has simply turned from normal to a constant nightmare. I have been at the mercy of the environment, and I get no benefits except for SNAP food benefits. I am so disheartened and have thought many times that it would be easier if I were not here anymore. I have come to believe that I am the problem. I have suffered great losses in the last 5 years and it all started with losing my job. I have been a survivor of many situations in my life, and I have only one person who is my family. I ave no where to turn, and I am discouraged and my self esteem is in the proverbial toilet. I just want a job and I cannot find one anywhere. I understand completely where you are coming from. I feel like my life is over. It really is. Even my own sister calls me a freeloader now. It cant get much worse than this.
...
Here.
I can't imagine how an ethical person could ignore the devastating effects upon millions of people of what they are proposing, or what kind of monster would sign off on such a piece of shit. I guess everyone can justify whatever they want, as long as it's happening to the people in the boxcars, not them.
We need to have more opportunity, and the government is the only entity big enough to do that. Take the $1.2 trillion they are supporting the bankers with and invest it in the community in ways that it gets spent.
It will do just as much good, and perhaps more. And then investigate the bankers and put the crooks in jail.
I guess you figured out I'm not in favor of it, eh?
some might mistake for a human being that could take food from hungry people's mouths and say "it's not nearly as bad as some people like you think". I bet it is, and worse.
You are in favor of this? It takes away food assistance from someone who makes so little that they have to get heating assistance. If they aren't so hard up that they get at least $20, then they get the extra food stamp assistance taken away.
I can't imagine what kind of low-life would propose or think something like this. But it does show that just because someone has a D on their brown shirt it doesn't mean you want to be on their side.
THEY ARE PEOPLE, NOT LOOPHOLES. You wouldn't know about that, of course.
Btw - that was a great chart you posted. I took it to the doughnut shop this morning, and I bet you wouldn't like at all the conclusions they came to - every single one of them wondered why this administration let the numbers rise so much, why they did things that took money from those with little and gave it to the wealthy. I can't wait till I show them the remark above, that there are Democrats who think their pain isn't so bad". I know it affects at least one of them personally. This will make it MUCH more clear for them who their friends aren't 
(I hope you don't get paid to practice politics. Your bosses would be getting a lousy return for their money).
You can go on about your mercenary way now. I won't be interested in wasting any more time with you, and will make sure of it with the ignore button right after I post this.
difference and close the gap.
25% of $8.7B is $2.175B. Spread out over New York's 429,153 millionaires, it comes out to just under $5070 per millionaire.
Why wouldn't Senator Gillibrand go for such a great bargain? 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/01/19/cnbc-top-states-for-millionaires/4585285/
