Deficit Reasoning

A farm bill that would have cut $20.5 billion over ten years from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was defeated in the House of Representatives because 62 Republicans didn't think the bill fucked over poor people hard enough.  But surely Republicans can get behind an immigration reform bill the Congressional Budget Office projects will cut the deficit by $1 trillion over 20 years?  Maybe not.

Update (August 10):  Charles Blow writes about "a town without pity".

Update (September 6):  A USDA report finds that 49 million people or 14.5 percent of households experienced food insecurity at some point during 2012.

Update (September 15):  Ruth Marcus reviews the new Republican proposal to cut $40 billion from SNAP over ten years.  It's a funny thing--SNAP responds to the recession as it's supposed to, but all Republicans see is spending out of control while refusing to do anything to create jobs and reduce dependence on entitlements.

Update (September 19):  The House of Representatives passed the SNAP cuts 217 to 210.

Update (October 26):  As the farm bill goes to conference committee, Michael Tomasky proposes that the SNAP cuts are the "single worst thing" Republicans have done during the Obama years.

Update (November 9):  Separate from the draconian proposed SNAP cuts was the scheduled rollback of benefits added as part of the 2009 stimulus.  A cut of twenty to thirty dollars per month may not sound like a lot, but it has an impact on those with little to begin with.

Update (November 17):  Joseph Stiglitz looks at overall food policy in the US.  The impact of Republican proposals is no unintended consequence--it's taking from the poor to subsidize the rich.  Stiglitz says if the bill became law, it "would be a moral and economic failure for the country".

Update (January 10, 2014):  Congress may be heading toward a $9 billion "compromise".

Update (January 27, 2014):  It looks like the compromise is for $8 billion over ten years unless liberals and Tea partiers combine to defeat it.

Update (January 29, 2014):  The House of Representatives passed the conference report 251 to 166.

Update (February 4, 2014):  The Senate passed the conference report 68 to 32.  And a nice quote from an interview with former USDA official Joel Berg:

Our political system is basically evil versus spineless

Update (September 1, 2014):  Caitlin Rathe explains the history of food stamps (signed into law 50 years ago) and how they were supported by business as a way to help farmers and grocers.