CBO: Food Stamp Rolls Explode By 70 percent

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
4/23/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Americans dependent on food stamps to continue growing until 2012

Forty-five million people in the United States received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits - more commonly known as food stamps, a 70 percent increase from 2007. The Congressional Budget Office declared this week that the number of people receiving the benefits would continue growing until 2014.

Most able-bodied people between the ages of 18 and 60 must register for work to qualify for food stamps. Many people may be required to participate in an employment or training program. Some college students also may be eligible.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Spending for the program, not including administrative costs, rose to $72 billion in 2011. This figure represents an increase from $30 billion four years earlier. The CBO also projected that one in seven U.S. residents received food stamps last year.

The CBO said in a report that the estimated two-thirds of jump in spending was tied to an increase in the number of people participating in the program, which provides access to food for the poor, elderly and disabled. The report also said that another 20 percent "of the growth in spending can be attributed to temporarily higher benefit amounts enacted in the" 2009 stimulus law.

The number of people receiving benefits is expected to fall after 2014 because the economy will be improving, according to the CBO.

"Nevertheless, the number of people receiving SNAP benefits will remain high by historical standards," the agency said.

The agency estimated that 34 million people, or one in 10 U.S. residents, would receive SNAP benefits in 2022 "and SNAP expenditures, at about $73 billion, will be among the highest of all non-health-related federal support programs for low-income households."

Anyone living in the U.S. can apply for food stamps. To get food stamps, you and the other people in your household must meet certain conditions. Everyone in the household must have or apply for a Social Security number and be either a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or have status as a qualified alien.

Qualified aliens are also eligible for food stamps without a waiting period. Among them are legal immigrant children under age 18; blind or disabled legal immigrants who receive disability assistance or benefits; individuals born on or before August 22, 1931, and who legally resided in the United States on August 22, 1996; lawful permanent residents who are active duty members or veterans of the U.S. armed forces or a spouse or a child of a veteran or active duty service member; and refugees admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Most able-bodied people between the ages of 18 and 60 must register for work to qualify for food stamps. Many people may be required to participate in an employment or training program. Some college students also may be eligible.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
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Keywords: Food stamps, eligibility, Congressional Budget Office

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

JoAnn
1 year ago
Rob: I'm sure you realize I'm speaking of people who are taking advantage of the system for no other reason other than "because they can." I am not speaking of the people who truly need the assistance. I have no objection to helping those people either. It's the people that sit on their rumps, watch their tv's, breed children that they can't take care of and think the world owes them a living. To answer your questions regarding why all the entitlements, again, let me recommend a book that can answer all your questions. It's called "The Road to Serfdom" by F. A. Hayek. You will see how the Progressives/Communists/Marxists have been altering our way of life for the past 100 yrs or so, to make us slaves to the government. If you have any school-age children, another book you MUST read is "Indoctrination - How "Useful Idiots" Are Using Our Schools to Subvert American Exceptionalism" by Kyle Olson. What can I say, I'm an old lady, I have a lot of time to read history and talk to my friends here. God bless.
Rob
1 year ago
JoAnn, I think there is a lot of truth to what you are saying. But I think there is another layer we need to consider. One of Bush's initiatives that Obama continued was an education program regarding elegibility for the food stamp program. I have no idea how much this growth is represented by those efforts, but I suspect the majority is due to job loss etc. Personally, I have no problem providing food assistance to the poor who are trying their hardest to change their situation. And I especially do not want to put kids in the position of going hungry because their parents do not care. But you sometimes have to wonder why we have all these entitlement programs. Personally, I think they provide the government with a sort of safety valve. You cannot shift the wealth to the wealthy that we have and not have some means for people to survive. You can't allow "shareholder value" to rule the day, allow companies to close up shop throwing people out of work without having some form of a safety valve. Otherwise, eventually you'll get resistance. I think all of these programs have served to keep us in the dark about what is really going on. I don't have time in this post to elaborate on the wealth issue in this country, but suffice to say that the middle class has been attacked and eroded unlike anytime in history over the past 30 years. The worker has fallen prey to stockholders who's only interest is the pursuit of more wealth, whatever the cost. Notice how much bail out money went to the concerns of the rich versus the very little that went to aid regular folks? I think what we see now is the effects of so many years of policies that protect the wealthy and are indifferent to the middle class. They can't hide it anymore.
A daughter of the Church, wife, mama, daughter, sister
1 year ago
I just want to share about our family.
My husband has his Master's degree, I went to Franciscan University of Steubenville, was a nun for a number of years until my migraine disorder got out of control, and we have a one year old son who is a an incredible blessing. My husband has applied for over eighteen thousand jobs. I'm not kidding. He was even a Fulbright Scholar. He speaks multiple languages. He even did training courses for a more varied background. If, and I mean if, he got called for one of the eighteen thousand jobs for which he applied, the salary was either below the poverty line or on a commission only basis. So, we have been on Food Stamps, Cash Aid and WIC, for more than a year. We thank God and those providing our aid, because otherwise we would be homeless. We live with my parents in the tiny room I grew up in. We have no assets, no car, no money tucked away. Each month the cash aid money goes to our various bills, for diapers, and anything we actually need that is not covered by Food Stamps. None of our family members are in a position to help us further. We have generous friends who have given us hand-me-down clothes for our baby. We just can't get out from under all of this. But...let me tell you...my husband is extraordinary. He prayed and discerned about joining the military. It isn't what we want but it would mean a secure job and steady paycheck. So he began training in order to make the requirements to enlist in the Navy. He ships out August 2. He took the first available ship date, not caring what job it would be. He knows he will go for Officer's Training later on, as well as get his PhD and law degree, while in the Navy.

I hope we remember that many, many people and families are truly struggling to provide for themselves. Most of us are not sitting in front of the TV all day. We are attempting to make a better life for ourselves. Sometimes we are too quick to judge people. We make rash judgements and apply them to a group of individuals. Have we tried to be in their shoes? Do we really know their circumstances? Have we prayed for our neighbors who are struggling? Have we offered any of them our assistance?

Even in our poverty, we give what we can each week at Mass. If we have something we do not need or someone else can use, we give it freely. We are members of Freecycle.org
We have given many needy mothers our extra diapers, clothes, formula, baby food.

It is time we take a look at ourselves and see if we need a change of heart. Are we applying what Jesus teaches us? Do we really love our neighbor as ourselves? Are we our brother's keeper?
JoAnn
1 year ago
Has anyone seen this before? The folks who are getting the FREE STUFF don't like the folks who are paying for the FREE STUFF, because the folks who are paying for the FREE STUFF can no longer afford to pay for both the FREE STUFF and their own stuff. And, the folks who are PAYING for the FREE STUFF want the FREE STUFF to stop. And the folks who are getting the FREE STUFF want even MORE FREE STUFF on top of the FREE STUFF they are already getting! Now...the people who are FORCING the people who pay for the FREE STUFF, have told the people who are RECEIVING the FREE STUFF, that the people who are PAYING for FREE STUFF are being mean, prejudiced and racist. So...the people who are GETTING the FREE STUFF have been convinced they need to HATE the people who are PAYING for the FREE STUFF by the people who are FORCING some people to PAY for their FREE STUFF and giving them the FREE STUFF in the first place. We have let the FREE STUFF giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting FREE STUFF than paying for the FREE STUFF. Now understand this. All great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded. The reason? The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them. The US officially became a Republic in 1776, 236 years ago. The number of people now getting FREE STUFF outnumbers the people paying for the FREE STUFF. ELECTION 2012 IS COMING!!!! "A NATION OF SHEEP BREEDS A GOVERNMENT OF WOLVES!" For all of our sakes PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, TAKE A STAND!!!! God bless.
J. Bob
1 year ago
The adage about teaching a man to fish, rather then giving him a fish, comes to mind.

The question is, how long the US can sustain all the entitlements being given out. One has only to look at the western European countries to see the result.
Rose
1 year ago
All together now...."FOUR MORE YEARS!"
Sara
1 year ago
One thing this article forgot to mention is the majority of people who get food stamps are employed at least part time. There is a difference between welfare (cash benefits), which are usually impossible for employed, two parent families to get, and SNAP or health care, which is just as commonly used, if not more so, by two parent, working poor families.
Judy
1 year ago
John: I agree wholeheartedly. And just think, 20% of the increase would NOT be there, if it were NOT for Obama's Stimulas that was money down the drain...Except for Federal $Spending! And could one ever write a book on that! Poor Federal Spending!
Blessings...
John
1 year ago
And they want to cut the food stamp program, good luck with that. Seriously though, if you want to get the count down for food stamp users then free up more jobs and help people get back on their own 2 feet.

http://www.foodstampbalance.net/

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