Food stamp first term?

Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, which is still going on, may be best remembered for the former Speaker's controversial remark that Barack Obama is the "food stamp president." The comment drew immediate criticism, that Gingrich deflected, claiming “The fact is that more people have been put on food stamps under Barack Obama than any other president in history."

On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report showing that the number of people receiving food stamp benefits—45 million—had increased by 70 percent since 2007, and that one in seven Americans received food stamp benefits last year. The Republican staff on the Senate Budget Committee has now released the chart below illustrating that food stamp spending has more than doubled since 2008: