House Republicans, in the process of writing the 2018 Farm Bill, are trying to disqualify millions of Americans from federal food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Their rationale is that too many Americans are “freeloaders” who are taking advantage of, or have become dependent on, government aid.
Their proposed solution is to deny people food stamps if they have missed one month of work. What these Republicans don’t seem to understand is that cutting SNAP will have huge negative effects on many communities, including rural agricultural ones.
In the past 50 years, a mass exodus has been occurring from rural areas to metropolitan areas. This has left rural economies in the lurch, and thus, many families rely on SNAP to supplement that lost income. Putting more hurdles in front of SNAP is punishing communities for systemic national issues that are beyond their control.
Instead, Congress should be thinking about why one in six people in America is food insecure in the first place, especially when we produce more than enough food to feed everyone. They are targeting the most vulnerable in society when they should be looking into systemic fixes to rampant American food insecurity.
Domi Frideger
Durango
