May 16, 2018

SNAP: Off the Dole and Back to Work

Republicans aim to revamp food stamps to help more people to be self-sufficient.

Every five years, Congress debates the merits of the multi-billion-dollar farm bill, which consists primarily of providing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Commonly referred to as food stamps, the SNAP portion of the 2018 proposed bill amounts to about $70 billion per year. However, unlike their predecessors, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have let it be known that the ballooning costs of the SNAP program are unacceptable and must radically altered.

Like most “Great Society” legislation that was initiated during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency, the SNAP program was meant to help a small, needy minority of citizens who were fighting hunger on daily basis. In 1964, The Hill notes, the program “initially appropriated $75 million in benefits to 350,000 Americans (.001 of the 1964 US population).” Fast forward to 2016 and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 44.2 million people (or 13% of the 2018 U.S. population) were receiving food stamps. This unprecedented growth in the 21st century is a head scratcher, especially considering that the latest jobs report from April shows a headline unemployment rate of 3.9%, the lowest since December 2000.

That is why Trump and Ryan, along with other Republicans, are keen to revamp SNAP and tailor it for the 21st century. The president and the speaker of the House are strong proponents of modifying work requirements for the program, which they believe will encourage people to get off of public assistance because they no longer need it. They, along with many other Republicans, are advocating shifting money from SNAP to jobs training, a change that will help the long-term prospects of people and give them the opportunity to lift them out of poverty.

The current version of the House Republican bill requires that an individual must work 80 hours per month to receive ongoing benefits, a move that will increase work requirements for all able-bodied adults. People who are disabled, pregnant or caring for a child under the age of six would be exempt from these proposed changes.

As to be expected, Democrats are portraying the GOP as cruel, unfeeling automatons who are determined to kick people into the streets without food. Rather than addressing the problem, they are instead launching another barrage of rhetoric meant to keep the status quo. This response alone should encourage Republican policymakers that they are on the right path.

No one in America wants to see their fellow citizens go hungry. Like many government policies, the food stamp program was meant to address a real problem. However, 54 years later, it’s time to seriously rethink the legislation and implement the work modifications that in the long run will lift people from the cycle of poverty. The Republican bill is a good start in getting people off of government programs and, in the words of Paul Ryan, “get[ting] them into work so that they can get on the escalator of life.”

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.