It’s not going anywhere, but food stamp vote was a new low

By a 10-vote margin, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to slash the food stamp program by nearly $40 billion over the next decade, a measure that thankfully won't go much further. The Senate won't pass it, and President Obama wouldn't sign it.

If somehow it were to succeed, up to 3.8 million people could lose their meager food stamp benefits, and states would be allowed to withhold food stamps from jobless adults without dependents if they cannot find paying employment or afford to attend a job training program.

No House Democrat voted for the bill; only 15 Republicans opposed it. Southeastern North Carolina should take note that both Democrat Mike McIntyre and Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. voted against the cuts. Neither man is a fiscal liberal. Jones, who was critical of President Obama's handling of the economy in a written statement Thursday, nevertheless noted that this is the wrong time to cut off people who are still hurting. Both men noted that children, the elderly, disabled Americans and many veterans would fall through the safety net.

The food stamp showdown marks a cruel shift in philosophy. In the past, the food stamp program has received bipartisan support, in part because it addresses the most basic of human needs and it can be spent legally only on food.

Critics note correctly that the program has grown in cost and expense since 2007. And what's happened since 2007? Millions of Americans – many of them middle class – lost their jobs to the recession. Those who have found work are likely to be making much less than their former jobs paid.

Others are still searching. There are still three unemployed workers for every available job, even as a lopsided recovery has restored prosperity to Wall Street. Job creation has come mostly in low-wage industries, and many formerly middle class families have been thrust into poverty.

The $40 billion being cut represents only about 5 percent of the total budget, but it would affect more than 3 million people who are having trouble getting back on their feet. Conservatives in the House were unwilling to accept smaller reductions. A Senate version would cut about $400 million annually, or $4 billion over 10 years, from the program.

There may be room for some tightening of restrictions in the food stamp program and a continued effort to root out fraud, but its oversight is among the most focused of all social programs. Fraud, which to a large degree consists of stores that illegally trade food stamp cards for cash or redeem them for purchases that aren't permitted by law, is very low and the rate is decreasing because of increased oversight and better technology. The vast majority of recipients need the help.

Witness what has happened since delays have plagued North Carolina's new food stamp application system. Families on the waiting list are turning to charitable food pantries and soup kitchens, which in turn are seeing their resources strained.

Americans want lawmakers who pay careful attention to how money is spent. But there are ways to tighten the belt without taking a step that could cause millions of Americans to go hungry.