food stamps
South Dakota congressman advocates expansion of work requirements for federal food aid
WASHINGTON — Republican South Dakota U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at expanding work requirements for federal nutrition aid, reigniting a perennial conflict over how Congress navigates both the farm bill and federal spending. “Work is the best pathway out of poverty,” Johnson, who in his home state has talked about growing […]
Formula shortage exposes familiar weakness in our safety net
Last week, the Ohio Department of Health requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allow greater flexibility in its social assistance programs around baby formula. The program the Ohio Department of Health is most interested in is the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, one of the […]
Study: Work requirements for SNAP don’t increase employment numbers
New policy research suggests imposing work requirements upon people who receive food stamps can slash benefit rolls by more than 50% without producing much to gain in employment or wages. The National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, authored by five economists, casts doubt on the notion that imposing work requirements to obtain benefits will […]
Life on welfare isn’t what most people think it is
When Americans talk about people receiving public assistance – food stamps, disability, unemployment payments and other government help – they often have stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions of who those people are and what their lives are like. Statistics can help clarify the picture by challenging false stereotypes of undeserving people gaming the system, but people’s […]
SNAP benefits now can be used for online food purchasing from Walmart and Amazon
Ohioans who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can now use their cards to purchase food online through Walmart and Amazon, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced in a news release Wednesday. During the coronavirus pandemic, many Ohioans have opted for online shopping as a safer alternative to […]
What will our social compact look like in the wake of COVID-19?
In 2019, more than 1.6 million different Ohioans needed help from a charitable food pantry because they couldn’t meet their nutritional needs without it. They were 82-year-old widowers scraping by on Social Security benefits. They were working parents with children who cobbled together a couple of important, but underpaid, jobs in food service or home […]
Congressional Dems want more federal cash to combat hunger during pandemic
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers want to prioritize food insecurity in the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation. More than 100 lawmakers sent a letter Tuesday asking Democratic and Republican leaders of the U.S. House and Senate to boost the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit by 15% — a request Republicans rejected in the $2 […]
SNAP ID bill is a costly, ineffective, misdirected attack on vulnerable people
Recently, the Ohio Senate General Government and Agency Review Committee recommended Senate Bill 165 to the full Senate for passage. This legislation has made the rounds in the legislature before, and as anti-hunger advocates who know the critical importance of a strong nutrition safety net, we have continually raised concerns about how its implementation would […]
‘Real rush’ of Trump rules expected ahead of 2020 election
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to finalize a host of high-profile rules in 2020, including policies that will impact everything from auto emissions to food stamp access. With the November presidential election approaching, the administration is widely expected to make a push to wrap up pending regulations early in 2020 in an effort […]
Fudge joins other U.S. House Dems to slam Trump’s food stamps rule changes
WASHINGTON — The morning after they voted to impeach President Donald Trump, a group of U.S. House Democrats gathered outside of the Agriculture Department’s headquarters to berate the administration for a policy that’s expected to knock about 700,000 people off food stamp benefits nationwide. As about a dozen House lawmakers huddled against the cold, Rep. […]
Bill to put photo IDs on food stamp cards returned to Ohio Senate committee
The Ohio Senate will reconsider a bill regarding photo identification on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after sending it back to committee Tuesday in the last Senate session of the calendar year. Senate Bill 165 was re-referred back to the Rules and Reference Committee with no other explanation and no objection from Senate members. The […]
Wealth and income inequality in America continuing to explode
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching our eye: The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent is writing about, “The massive triumph of the rich, illustrated by […]