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You Won’t Believe How Much the Gov’t Spends on ‘Food Assistance’ Each Year

Dec. 14, 2012 6:20pm Becket Adams

It’s Friday. You know what that means, right? It means it’s time for your weekly dose of “sobering chart.” So, without any further introduction, here’s a chart from Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee:

As the above clearly illustrates, the U.S. government spends roughly $110 billion per year on 80 “food assistance” programs, meaning the amount spent has increased by approximately $70 billion in just ten years.

From the minority side of the Senate:

The federal government administers more than a dozen nutrition support programs in addition to food stamps. A family of four could receive $9,000 or more in benefits per year through these various programs (in addition to other means-tested support like housing, TANF, and cash welfare). USDA, the agency that administers most of them, has actively tried to expand enrollment in food stamps and other nutrition programs even further — including among those who explicitly say they do not need financial assistance.

For example, the agency has produced training materials to help recruitment workers ‘overcome the word “No,” and even goes so far as to suggest that people who choose not to sign up for food stamps are hurting their communities: ‘Each $5 dollars in new SNAP benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity for the community… Everyone wins when eligible people take advantage of benefits to which they are entitled.’”

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Comments (58)

ObserverOnTheHill
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 3:21pm
Not to worry, everything is about to crash and burn

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johnrysf
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 1:00pm
$110 billion, 80 ‘food assistance’ programs? This is alarming, huh?!

So, I searched on “food stamps benefits”. My conclusion? This article is a hack job, a load of crap.

IMHO, The Atlantic is one of the best periodicals around. The Atlantic article titled “Who Benefits From Food Stamps…a record high…Where is all that money going?”, on 9/5/12, at

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/who-benefits-from-food-stamps/261993/

begins “as many as 46.7 million Americans received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in June, at a cost of $6.2 billion”. $110 billion, $6.2 billion – which is it? Notice that the graph above comes from Senator Jeff Sessions’ staff. I want to see what those 80 programs do, what’s in the $110 billion. Do you?

The Atlantic poses the real question that the article above skirts: “You can look at the enrollment numbers in one of two ways: either it’s a sign that more Americans than ever are in need of help, or that more Americans than ever are receiving benefits who don’t need them.”

Answer? Per The Atlantic: ” those who get benefits are unquestionably poor; many of them aren’t old enough to work or care for themselves; many recipients who are of working age are employed; and that SNAP runs on a shoestring…what you’ve got is a reasonably strong argument for giving needy people the benefit of the doubt at a time of slower-than-expected economic recovery.”

I’ll go with

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- johnrysf
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 1:13pm
  Sorry my last sentence got cut off. It reads:
  
  So, I’d like to see what went into this article’s “$110 billion, 80 programs”. Meanwhile, as far as food stamps to the poor, I’ll go with the Atlantic. How about you?
  
  Report this comment
- Profit Prophet
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 12:51pm
  The $110 billion is an annual figure. The $6.2 billion is a monthly figure.
  If you are going to attempt to refute an article, YOU may want to get YOUR numbers straight.
  Silly Progressive.
  
  Report this comment
Texasflash
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 8:22am
A nation cannot establish a welfare/warfare state without the loss of human rights. The welfare state requires government control of the people and will only escalate as time goes own. The welfare state has become so large here in Granola Land that they can swing the vote for any puke bag politician that promises to keep them hooked to the taxpayers teat.

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freedomofspeech
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 2:59am
This is the new norm. What has changed? What is the solution? I have changed. I have broken the chains of indoctrination. I am the cause I am the solution. Is it to late? Not for me. In my quest for truth I have only begun.

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terryb1110
Posted on December 16, 2012 at 2:01am
If you say the government should not give out foodstamps than you have to be against the subsidy that large farmers and corporations receive

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- Geardo
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 8:05am
  The government must eliminate all aid, and social programs, no exceptions!
  
  Report this comment
wisconsinlcm
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 7:55pm
Is this crazy or what, If I don’t take govermeant hand out I am harming my comminty, what has this county come too.I am sorry but you can take your govermeant hand out and put it where the sun doesn’t shine.

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Arshloch
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 2:23pm
Ho’else yo’ gwine keep dem voters, just like sloppin de hogs.

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IzzyKiddnya
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 11:51am
Why are we not complaining about the Government programs offering price support to farmers — subsidies??? marketing assistance..tax breaks ?
Especially when the intended recipients of these entitlements — the “family” farmers — are now in the minority — replaced by corporate agribusinesses — with plenty of money to fund their Lobby in Washington?
What else are we supposed to do with the surpluses these give-aways generate? Give them to the wealthy, instead of the needy?

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OUTLAW_WEALTH
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 7:19am
Looks like the government policy is parallel to that of ancient Rome.

Empires come to an end, and fail.

Eventually all socialists become communists, when other people’s money runs out, and all that is left is the power of the sword, or gun, as the case may be.

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pickup1988
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 10:57pm
Maybe if greedy corporate restaurants didn’t throw away trash bins full of food every night and instead gave it to the poor, we could save some tax dollars here.

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- truebluepatriot
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 3:37am
  Well, it’s awful easy to call those “Greedy” restaurants greedy when you don’t know your facts, fool. How on earth does throwing profit-lost food in the dumpster BENEFIT a restaurant? Besides, if you just paid attention, you would know that most governments have now forbidden the distribution of left-over restaurant foods to non-customers. Just think: Bloomberg banned contributions because they weren’t evaluated for salt and fat levels. Talk about “greedy”! No, well, that’s just stupid lib mentality at work.
  
  Report this comment
unitedwestand58
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 9:57pm
There is NO reason our tax dollars should buy candy, chips, soda, and other JUNK food! If they want the extra’s get a job and work for it. A woman who just posted on a mom’s site, “I haven’t much money for gifts so I bought $35 worth of candy with toys in them on my EBT card!” You must not be very hungry if you can BLOW $35 of food stamps on candy toys! My friend works at a grocery store and CONSTANTLY sees people buy a roast or decorated cake with their EBT card then sell it to the person with them for cash, then go buy ciggs or booze with the cash. They can’t say anything, because store doesn’t care as they make TWO sales! It’s so abused.

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- OUTLAW_WEALTH
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 7:20am
  Don’t feed the animals. It makes them dependent on you and decreases their ability to survive in the wild.
  
  Report this comment
ICANTTAKEITANYMORE
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 9:00pm
It would be different if the types of food you could by with food stamps was more regulated. I stand in line all the time and watch people pay for hundreds of dollars worth of food with EBT cards. then pull out a wad of cash and buy beer and cartons of smokes UNREAL.
Second of all, just allow the basics to be bought, no junk food, or candy and things like that. Milk, sugar, flour, bread, eggs, just the necessities. That would curb people off of them AND cut down on obesity.
Its not the fact that EBT are around, its just how the money is used. JUNK and to supplement alcohol, tabacco, and drugs.

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- SaturdaysWarrior76
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 7:38am
  I have seen the same thing, and it makes me angry as well… But you have to remember this is America and these people have a right to purchase whatever food they wish and to use the money as they wish. Although we may not agree with their choices (and believe me, I get what you are saying!) in America there is still freedom and we cannot dictate to others what they should eat, do or purchase with this money, be it welfare money or not. Dictating and controlling is exactly what the Government wants to do! We have to defend the Rights of those we don’t agree with because next time, they’ll be coming to take your rights away too.
  
  Report this comment
- matt_c
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 12:12am
  SaturdaysWarrior76, they can choose what to buy when the public isn’t the one footing the bill. These are people who are supposed to be so destitute that they can’t afford their own food. They’d supposedly starve if not for the government program du jour. If they’re truly that bad off then where is the beer and cig money coming from? If you’re barely surviving shouldn’t luxuries like that be the first thing to go? If you can afford $50 worth of booze and cigs which have zero to negative nutritional value, then you can obviously afford $50 worth of food. It’s not unreasonable at all to demand someone make the best use of what the rest of us are being forced to give and to exhaust their own resources before spending ours.
  
  Report this comment
- rickroland
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 4:17pm
  It’s really simple, stop giving people money to eat on. Let them figure it out for themselves, get a job, get help from family, help from the local food bank, etc.
  
  Report this comment
- lmao@dems
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 11:10pm
  You think thats crazy, go to a resort and look at the guest there and then at night go to the local store where they buy there food with an EBT card, with rooms being 600.00 to 900.00 a night. I see it on a daily basis as I work at a resort. They go on vacation I could not even come close to afford unless I go on Welfare, and all paid for buy tax dollar money. The Dumcrats think this is just fine, and even some Republicans. Well it is stealing no matter how you look at it.
  
  Report this comment
Gr8ful1jim
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:34pm
Feeding the poor is what Christians are called to do.

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- truebluepatriot
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 3:32am
  Yes, we are called to CHARITY, not enforced taxation (theft) by a government body. HUGE difference, fool.
  
  Report this comment
- Wisdom7
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 7:42am
  Except they aren’t. They are failing. They are too busy with politics. When you get right down to it, they are doing little to nothing. Sure we have a few food banks around, but that’s about it. It also depends on where you live too. Where I live (rural America), there is nothing. There is only one free clinic that serves a three county area and it has no funds and two year waiting lists. There is also one local food bank and it runs out of funds fast too.
  
  People cry about charity, but what charity are they giving to? Ones that will never help the local folks?
  
  Some people really do need help, but are too embarrassed to ask for it. Why wouldn’t they be? When you have everyone calling them losers and lumping them in with the real abusers with their blanket statements.
  
  I could easily say if Christians were doing what they should, no one in their community would go hungry. Yet, not everyone has a kind heart or is a Christian. So the money runs out fast.
  
  Report this comment
- sacwoodpusher
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 12:32pm
  Yes, and we’ve go to get groceries to poor families immeciately, freeing up cash for purchases of drugs and alchohol.
  
  My wife and kids are off to church this Am, the local Methodist church. I attended last week’ and found it totally devoid of religious content.
  
  Report this comment
MrKnowItAll
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:21pm
Do You Accept Food Stamps? From a Lady in a Wheel Chair?… Do you Accept Food Stamps? Do you Really Care? Do you accept Food Stamps? The Crack Man is right over there.
THIS IS A SONG I AM COMPOSING. Sing It. It’s Catchy!

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catty
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:27pm
You mean a reagan phone user don’t you? He started the program.

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- SaturdaysWarrior76
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:53pm
  What’s that smell? Cat Litter?
  
  Report this comment
- progressiveslayer
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:04pm
  Yes, quick cover it up.
  
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- macpappy
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:12pm
  Idiot, when Reagan was President, car phones looked like your house phone, and the only cell phones were the old bag phones. None were given to anyone free.
  
  Report this comment
FloridaFarmGirl
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:17pm
Hang in there, pretty soon the government and the takers will run out of “other people’s money”, meaning us. Then it will be time finally for the long coming civil war. Get ready and be prepared.

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1776freedomofspeech
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:16pm
Don’t know what free food is. I always paid for my own food. I Am A Proud American White Man!

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- Shamrock241
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:53pm
  This is why i get so angry when politicians talk only about cutting Social Security and Medicare. They always talk about the programs people worked and paid into but hardly ever mention welfare programs that the moochers get but never do a thing to earn it.
  
  Report this comment
- Salamander
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:22pm
  All that ‘food assistance’ is why YOUR food costs so much! When something gets subsidized, its cost goes up for everyone!
  
  Report this comment
Serenabit
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:01pm
‘Each $5 dollars in new SNAP benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity for the community… Everyone wins when eligible people take advantage of benefits to which they are entitled.’”

With “logic” like this it’s no wonder we are so screwed up. Really?!

I might be able to argue the first point … “Each $5 dollars in new SNAP benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity” The government collects 3 times that amount in taxes, pays off the politicians and welfare workers and “stimulates” their economy. As far as “benefits to which they are entitled” goes … I’m baffled. How can anyone be “entitled” to something that they neither earned or paid for?

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- progressiveslayer
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:08pm
  Every dollar that goes to government to be wasted on some BS unconstitutional program is a dollar taken out of the private sector which is bad for the economy.Government cannot create wealth it can only destroy wealth and they have no money only that which is extorted through illegal taxation because the 16th amendment wasn’t properly ratified.
  
  Report this comment
- loriann12
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:08pm
  That’s because it allows them to afford their **** appointments, getting their nails done (with rhinestones), fancy purses, name brand clothes, etc. My son goes to school with a welfare child, who makes fun of him because he gets his shoes from Walmart or PayLess…..she wears name brands. I want to tell her not everyone gets money from the government. I should say former classmate…we just took him out of school today.
  
  Report this comment
- Serenabit
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:22pm
  Congrats on taking your child out of public school Loriann12 ! Everyone who can do this should. It eliminates the opportunity for kids to be indoctrinated, and hits the NEA, school systems, and teacher’s union’s where it seems to hurt them most… in the pocketbook. Even THIS government can’t justify funneling money to schools for NOT teaching kids.
  
  Report this comment
- Salamander
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 8:24pm
  Must be ‘New Math’, ’cause it certainly doesn’t add up using classical arithmetic! This isn’t rocket science, and ‘There ain’t no Free Lunch!’ When you get something for free, it just means that somebody else paid for it, either voluntarily or involuntarily!
  
  Report this comment
The_Jerk
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:48pm
Don’t work, don’t eat. We need to go back to that golden rule.

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- jeanr
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:45pm
  Relax: We still spend over $700 billion in military spending. We still have our priorities!
  
  Report this comment
- Yushud_Givaschitt
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 8:53am
  JeanR…. I do believe the Constitution states, in it’s Preamble…: “Provide for the common defense, Promote the General Welfare”
  Notice how our founding Fathers didn’t say Provide for the General Welfare??? Get it??? They were smarter than you…
  
  Report this comment
- jeanr
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 10:26am
  We spend half of the entire world’s military budget by ourselves. Are we really not smart enough to provide for our common defense more efficiently? And besides, I thought Obama was the embodiment of the modern SS. Wouldn’t we want him to have as small of a force as possible so that he can’t strip you of your guns and bible and freedom?
  
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progressiveslayer
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:43pm
The collectivists currently dismantling capitalism by killing the goose that laid the golden egg will be happy when we’re all ‘equal’,equally poor. When the next depression starts they’ll blame the republicans when both are to blame.It’s weird how the program spends more every year huh? ALL forms of welfare are immoral and unconstitutional and those programs will end when hell freezes over.

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- civilwarcometh
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:01pm
  Stop paying taxes. Don’t feed the enemy.Time to stand up. They only get away with it if you allow them to. I won’t comply with any rule/regulation or executive order or law comeing from this government.
  
  Report this comment
- progressiveslayer
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:13pm
  It’s a great idea if ALL taxpayers do the same and stop feeding the beast,they’ve been collecting federal income tax illegally since they allegedly ratified the 16th amendment anyway.The IRS has lost in court over this issue in the past because the government doesn’t have the authority to tax your income since the 16th amendment wasn’t properly ratified.
  
  http://thelawthatneverwas.com/
  
  Report this comment
- Winedude
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 1:45pm
  Your arguments about the ratification of the 16th amendment are pure nonsense and you know it. This matter has been brought to the courts and Benson did NOT PREVAIL. He even brought up the nonsense about how Ohio wasn’t a state at the time of ratification and the courts rejected this argument as well. It amazes me how folks from the (ignorant) South keep reinventing history to suit their arguments. I guess this ignorance is inherited from the idiots that started a war but wouldn’t fund it with any taxes for 2 years…
  
  Report this comment
Gregb
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:42pm
so much money spent to buy votes for the democrats to turn America into a communist country. Needless to say, the muslims are trying to beat them… And we, the wage earning Americans, are funding it.

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Sgt_Rock
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:42pm
“…including among those who explicitly say they do not need financial assistance.”

It’s OK folks…its just us, the government, we know what’s good for you and your kids, really. What? You want a job. Well that’s just silly…What? Support your family, self reliance, dignity, personal pride, a work ethic?…You don’t need any those. We have everything you need. Here, take this big flat screen, this X-box, and all of these games and play to your hearts content. But remember, take some time out to watch Jerry Springer and Judge (whoever) and learn from those examples, because that’s how life really is. BTW, Friday is pizza night so feel free to use your EBT card and leave the frozen dinners for formal occasions….Oh btw, we’ll have someone over to kill all those nasty cockroaches as soon as we get through the stack of work orders in front of yours. Oh, yeah, stay away from the windows after dark, we wouldn’t want anyone getting hit by a stray bullet…Luv You! Your Uncle Sugar.

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mellowlady
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:38pm
Does this add in all the money we pay farmers to not grow crops and all their various bogus tax breaks?

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- jeanr
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:42pm
  That hasn’t been true since the late 70′s. Subsidies are given to farmers to grow as much as they can, especially corn. Corn cannot be sold at a profit anymore. This is why it is used in nearly everything now. It is cheap and plentiful
  
  Report this comment
freeberty
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:38pm
Does this include all the parasites that take a government check, the parasites on social security/medicare? The parasites on any kind of government pension? After all, as a taxpayer I am being forced to feed them whether I want to or not. I wonder how many of them say no?

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- TMDesign
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:46pm
  I wonder how much long, needless court battles cost. Prosecutors seem to be all for racking up the taxpayer’s bill—just like any other Gov. agency. This one is going to cost tens of thousands of dollars for one portion:
  
  http://www.enumclaw.com/news/local-news/judge-finds-enumclaw-detective-grant-mccall-responsible-for-misconduct-exhibit-4/
  
  Report this comment
- Sgt_Rock
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:01pm
  “The parasites on any kind of government pension?”
  
  So does that include veteran’s who are retired on a government pension? Or Border Patrol agents who PAID into their pensions for 20 or 30 years, hardly freeloaders. Those folks earned their pensions. I’m not even close to believing in a welfare state or other BS entitlements, but a lot of gov’t employees on the local level don’t pay into Social Security, so they don’t get to draw it when they reach eligibility. All they have is that gov’t pension…unless they had a deferred comp account or 401 k, both of which come out of THEIR paycheck..
  
  Report this comment
- freeberty
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 7:16pm
  Wow, that’s shocking so your saying a government parasite thinks they deserve their entitlement, no matter how useless a taxpayer may think they are?
  
  Sounds exactly like an Obama cell phone user.
  
  Report this comment
- johnrysf
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 12:16pm
  “…parasites on social security/medicare? The parasites on any kind of government pension?” SAY WHAT? Are you JOKING?! Please allow me to remind this strangely ill-informed commenter – and any other readers who have similar extremely goofy thoughts – that
  
  (1) Social Security is an INSURANCE program against disability and poverty in old age.
  
  (2) Medicare is a medical INSURANCE program designed to provide a minimum level of care in old age.
  
  (3) Employers and employees pay jointly and equally for these two INSURANCE plans based on wages. We employers remit the premiums as quarterly FICA payments (the “I” in FICA stands for “Insurance”). Your taxes pay ZERO – NO TAXES – for these EARNED benefits!!! You, too, are covered by this INSURANCE, assuming you have/had legitimate job(s) that pay/paid FICA.
  
  (4) Government, including military, pensions: Folks EARNED these benefits – it’s part of their employment contract – and they generally plan retirement around this income. You would STEAL it from them? I’m old, remember when these “defined benefit” pensions were common and expected. I expected, and received, one in my first couple of jobs – pension quality was an important consideration when interviewing for a job.
  
  How old are you? Highest grade attained in school? Grow up on another planet? Good GOD, are there others out there saddled with such ignorance?
  
  Report this comment
iampraying4u
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 6:23pm
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