“Fresh cuts in the Food Stamp program will make life worse for New York’s hungry”
Sunday, October 27, 2013
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fresh-cuts-food-stamp-program-hurt-article-1.1498308
Dear Editor,
As a community nonprofit annually touching the lives of 20,000 low- to moderate- income individuals, many of our clients receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With the loss of 2009’s Recovery Act temporary boost to SNAP on November 1, we have had many walk-in clients come to our office to voice their concerns about the reductions. Clients feel hopeless and are frustrated with the reduction of much-needed benefits. With already limited resources to pay for housing, utilities, and transportation, cuts to SNAP increase hardships of the poor. One client stated, “Taking money from the poor, just makes the poor even poorer. It doesn’t solve any problems.” Many of those on SNAP are seniors on a fixed income or working families struggling to get by.
With Congress fighting to decrease the allotment towards SNAP even further in the next Farm Bill, our community says we can’t take any more cuts. We need to come together to urge our Congressional leaders to voice their disapproval of future cuts to SNAP and fight to increase the budget for SNAP. The loss of $17 billion to SNAP is already going to hit SNAP-recipient households hard. Many individuals, such as our clients, need SNAP to keep food on the table. Cuts of $36 for a household of four may seem small, but since most SNAP recipients’ food benefits run out by the third week of the month, families will find it even harder to make ends meet. Because of this, it is necessary not only to support keeping the current budget for SNAP benefits, but also to increase the budget for the future sustainability of the program.
Sincerely,
Christopher Kui
Executive Director
Asian Americans for Equality
