11-4 IAN SNAP
In terms of the farm bill which appears to be stalled in Congress, the Sec. of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is adamant about the fact that the USDA is doing everything in its power to get the bill passed, complete with support for any legislators who have questions. The Ag Information Network’s Kay Dee Gilkey personally interviewed the secretary and obtained a very candid and open stance. We stand willing, ready and able at USDA to provide technical assistance and to help to bridge the gap. We know there are differences of opinion on issues from dairy to conservation compliance to the nutrition assistance programs but all those differences can be worked out if people are reasonable.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides financial assistance for purchasing food to low- and no-income people living in the U.S. It is a federal aid program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, though benefits are distributed by individual U.S. states. They can be used to purchase any prepackaged edible foods, regardless of nutritional value (e.g. soft drinks and confections). Hot foods (such as those found in a supermarket deli) are ineligible, as well as items in fast food restaurants and similar retail settings. Tom Vilsack has thoughts about SNAP.
On the nutrition assistance side, we cannot have a program that disqualifies millions of folks who are struggling through a tough economy. There are ways in which the SNAP program can always be more efficient and more effective and we can demand more of states who get millions of dollars to help create job opportunities for folks who are looking for work but disqualifying several million folks is not the right way to do this and hopefully, the conference committee will recognize that.
