Democratic lawmakers in Congress are racing against the clock to pass legislation in time to prevent America from flying off what they are calling the "food stamp cliff."
The "food stamp cliff" is the expiration of the temporary increase in funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provided for by the 2009 stimulus bill that will expire at the end of October, according to The Hill's Floor Action Blog.
If the increase is not renewed, a single adult's benefits will reportedly be cut by $11 a month to a total of $189.
In this photo taken Tuesday Oct. 1, 2013 volunteers gather food at the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester, N.H. to be delivered around the state. The temporary increase in food stamps also know as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program expires Oct. 31, meaning for millions of Americans, the benefits that help them put food on the table every month won’t stretch as far as they have for the past four years. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
The "Extend Not Cut SNAP Benefits Act," proposed by John Conyer's (D-Mich.), would "amend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to extend the period during which supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits are temporarily increased."
"The Nov. 1 cut will aggravate the problem of hunger in our nation, and make it that much harder for millions of Americans—fathers and mothers, children, veterans and active duty military to provide for their loved ones," he said earlier this month, according to The Hill.
"The loss of SNAP will not just mean empty tables for Thanksgiving for millions; it will mean a weaker economy, even as the effects of our prolonged shutdown and debt ceiling brinksmanship continues to erode economic progress," the Democrat congressman added.
House Republicans had removed funding for SNAP entirely from a farm bill passed in August.
At the time, Pelosi had pummeled conservative lawmakers, accusing them of taking “food from the mouths of children” in a “wrong-headed approach” to cut food assistance programs.
(H/T: The Hill Floor Action Blog)
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