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Last updated on Thursday, October 24, 2013
(WASHINGTON, DC) - Millions of low income individuals could lose federally provided food assistance under proposed cuts to the farm bill.
Lawmakers are looking for savings in the nearly $1 trillion bill and the food stamp program could prove the most contentious.
The monthly food allowance receives by many comes from the farm bill, and what that program will look like next year is up for debate.
The Senate would cut about $4 billion over ten years by closing loopholes in the process for determining how much assistance an individual qualifies for.
The House wants to cut $39 billion, largely by ending waivers allowing the jobless to stay on food stamps longer in areas with high unemployment.
"We need to make government assistance something temporary and not a way of life," said Israel Ortega of the conservative think tank group Heritage Foundation.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says those cuts aren't the answer.
"There are worse outcomes in the workplace and at schools. There are worse outcomes for the country as a whole," said Jim Weill of the Food Action Research Center.
"When you disqualify three to four million Americans from the program, that is not acceptable," said Vilsack.
Anti-hunger advocates say food insecurity affects more than the individual. It could hurt the nation as whole.
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