Daily Democrat – by Mary Clare Jalonick
WASHINGTON — The House has voted to cut nearly $4 billion a year from food stamps, a 5 percent reduction to the nation’s main feeding program used by more than 1 in 7 Americans.
The 217-210 vote was a win for conservatives after Democrats united in opposition and some GOP moderates said the cut was too high.
The bill’s savings would be achieved by allowing states to put broad new work requirements in place for many food stamp recipients and to test applicants for drugs. The bill also would end government waivers that have allowed able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food stamps indefinitely.
House conservatives, led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., have said the almost $80 billion-a-year program has become bloated. More than 47 million Americans are now on food stamps, and the program’s cost more than doubled in the last five years as the economy struggled through the Great Recession. Democrats said the rise in the rolls during tough economic times showed the program was doing its job.
Finding a compromise — and the votes — to scale back the feeding program has been difficult. The conservatives have insisted on larger cuts, Democrats opposed any cuts and some moderate Republicans from areas with high food stamp usage have been wary of efforts to slim the program. 
Republican leaders emphasized that the bill targets able-bodied adults who don’t have dependents. And they say the broader work requirements in the bill are similar to the 1996 welfare law that led to a decline in people receiving that government assistance.
“This bill is designed to give people a hand when they need it most,” Cantor said on the floor just before the bill passed. “And most people don’t choose to be on food stamps. Most people want a job … They want what we want.”
The new work requirements proposed in the bill would allow states to require 20 hours of work activities per week from any able-bodied adult with a child over age 1 if that person has child care available. The requirements would be applicable to all parents whose children are over age 6 and attending school.
The Congressional Budget Office says that if the bill were enacted, as many as 3.8 million people could lose their benefits in 2014.
Watch a report on food stamps and the middle class below, via Reuters:
And I’m sure none of the illegal immigrants get a single dollar cut in their food stamps but us American nationals will. Gotta support the illegals since they are the only ones in this damn country that support Obama anymore.
Seriously, if you see an asshole driving his or her car with Obama 2012 bumper stickers, all you have to do is drive up next to them, look in the car and within seconds you can just tell that they are fresh from the border or some India person who can’t speak English, but for some reason worships Obama. I just want to run them off the road and out of the country. It pisses me off more than words can say and my road rage temperature goes from 0-120 in 2 seconds.
That’s how Republicans sabotage a good program they quietly add “land mines” so nobody qualifies. And in this case the 20 hour per week work requirement will cut almost everyone out. If that doesn’t get them then the intrusive drug test will. If I were getting food stamps I would say NO to a drug test, especially if they stick a dirty needle in your arm for blood. Anyway the Republicans need that 80 billion dollars in food stamp savings over ten years because they have to give that money to Bernanke so he can give it away to banksters $85 billion every month unending and forever. What a screwed up country.
Yes, we must continue to give the poor bankers $85 billion a month but grab that loaf of bread away from that guy before he takes a bite out of it. Who would of thought things would turn out like this. Well, our founding fathers did and gave us the Bill of Rights to defend ourselves. Can we soon start enforcing it and start hanging the traitors?
The actual amount was 39 BILLION, not 4 billion.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/323511-house-votes-to-cut-39-billion-from-food-stamp-program
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the leader of stealing food from the mouths of the poor, always votes to increase aid to Israel.
This just may be that straw that breaks the back. The most dangerous animal is a hungry/starving, insecure animal.