WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement regarding a nationwide reduction in benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as Food Stamps:
“Today is a sad day for many low-income families in North Carolina and across the country that struggle daily to put food on their tables. In 2009, Congress passed the Recovery Act which temporarily increased food stamps benefits for millions of Americans. However, today, that modest increase ends.
“While the reduction in benefits may sound insignificant to some, it could result in hungry families being deprived of a week’s worth of food. A family of four will see up to $36 cut from their monthly benefits, and a single parent with two children will experience a reduction of about $29. This equates to struggling families receiving less than $1.40 per person per meal, and will affect over 1.7 million North Carolinians, including 758,000 children and 285,000 elderly or disabled, which is more than 17 percent of North Carolina’s population.
“Even more disturbing is that my House Republican colleagues knew this reduction was coming, but have persisted in their war on the poor by pushing for even deeper cuts to SNAP. The Republican-led House passed a bill in September without the support of a single Democrat that would cut $40 billion in SNAP benefits over the next 10 years. That’s in addition to the cuts that occurred today, and all while the national and state’s unemployment rates stands at 7 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.
“Now is not the time to cut a program that helps the most vulnerable in our country feed their families and get back on their feet. I hope that my Republican colleagues will reevaluate their position on SNAP and seriously consider the real life impact their actions will have on millions of Americans.”