"Hunger cliff" looms as 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits

Paco Dennis

SF VIP
Location
Mid-Missouri
This is horrible timing for millions of people.

"A "hunger cliff" is looming for millions of Americans, with 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits beginning in March.

The cuts will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in those states, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among the states where recipients are facing cuts are California and Texas, which have greatest number of people on SNAP, at 5.1 million and 3.6 million recipients, respectively.

That means a family of four could see their monthly benefit cut by about $328 a month. The worst-hit could be elderly Americans who receive the minimum monthly benefit, Vollinger said. They could see their SNAP payments tumble from $281 to as little as $23 per month."


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yahoo-layoffs-cut-20-percent-of-workforce/
 

This is horrible timing for millions of people.

"A "hunger cliff" is looming for millions of Americans, with 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits beginning in March.

The cuts will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in those states, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among the states where recipients are facing cuts are California and Texas, which have greatest number of people on SNAP, at 5.1 million and 3.6 million recipients, respectively.

That means a family of four could see their monthly benefit cut by about $328 a month. The worst-hit could be elderly Americans who receive the minimum monthly benefit, Vollinger said. They could see their SNAP payments tumble from $281 to as little as $23 per month."


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yahoo-layoffs-cut-20-percent-of-workforce/
that link is for different article,

Yahoo plans to cut 20% of its workers as tech layoffs pile up​

 
I am in two minds about this. On the one hand, I am a retired senior now living on a fixed income. I retired in 2021, just in time to see food prices triple from where they were 2 years ago. I certainly feel the impact of that.

However, rather than expecting the government to provide more and more money to people, I would rather see the inflation reduced, the on-going supply chain problem finally fixed and the price of food, vehicles, etc. stabilize or be reduced. This will enable people to help themselves. Employers are still desperate to hire employees - at least around this part of the country - and being gainfully employed has to be the best remedy to the food and rent crises.
 
It's about to get worse for some of these folks..
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 decouples the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision from the PHE and terminates this provision on March 31, 2023. Starting April 1, 2023, states can resume Medicaid disenrollments. (emphasis added)
While the number of Medicaid enrollees who may be disenrolled during the unwinding period is highly uncertain, it is estimated that millions will lose coverage. Based on illustrative scenarios—a 5% decline in total enrollment and a 13% decline in enrollment—KFF estimates that between 5.3 million and 14.2 million people will lose Medicaid coverage during the 12-month unwinding period
https://tinyurl.com/3vmu64nr
 
This hunger cliff is coming to the vast majority of states, and people will on average lose about $82 of SNAP benefits a month," said Ellen Vollinger, the SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger advocacy group. "That is a stunning number."


I was notified a few months ago, the $95 "Extra" I got along with the $245 monthly SNAP amount was going to stop in February, as the "Pandemic" was considered over.

As I get SS, I further lost $207 from my monthly SNAP as I knew I would. This is simply a return to normal SNAP benefits. And of course, the left leaning news treats this like an looming apocalypse.

I once worked for a company and one worker who outweighed me, thought she'd apply and get $200 a month SNAP. When I showed her the "Am I eligible?" Estimator, she learned it's mainly for those of really low SS, SSI and SSDI.

She'd have gotten $16 a month btw.
 
As I get SS, I further lost $207 from my monthly SNAP as I knew I would. This is simply a return to normal SNAP benefits. And of course, the left leaning news treats this like an looming apocalypse.
And it is, if you're disabled and truly need the social safety net. Especially in view of the recent inflation rate in food prices.

I would hate to think that a 68-yr old friend of ours who is struggling with recovery from her third bout of stage 4 breast cancer and has been unable to work for the last two years because of constant pain, should somehow be thought "undeserving" of assistance at a time when rising prices on food and housing are indeed affecting millions of Americans.

She was a hard worker, honest and caring, a delightful and sweet person; but is without family and has been forced to drain most of her savings as she can't work.

America may be the land of opportunity, but more and more we are limiting that opportunity to fewer and fewer people, most of whom aren't actually in real need of 'a helping hand'.
 
I'm very sympathetic to the plight of families and seniors who will be losing part of their incomes, but I was surprised to hear people were still receiving payments tied to the pandemic. With some exceptions, we are pretty much past the pandemic.

It would be great if the payments could continue other some other type of program.
 
Combine that with forcing women to have children they don't want and can't afford to take care of and we're going to see more needless and avoidable suffering.
 

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