Republican Recession Watch: Food Stamp Usage Up

11:01 pm EST March 30th, 2008 | Republicans | 4 Comments

Clearly the solution to this is another tax cut for Paris Hilton.

Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s.

The number of recipients, who must have near-poverty incomes to qualify for benefits averaging $100 a month per family member, has fluctuated over the years along with economic conditions, eligibility rules, enlistment drives and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which led to a spike in the South.

But recent rises in many states appear to be resulting mainly from the economic slowdown, officials and experts say, as well as inflation in prices of basic goods that leave more families feeling pinched. Citing expected growth in unemployment, the Congressional Budget Office this month projected a continued increase in the monthly number of recipients in the next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1 — to 28 million, up from 27.8 million in 2008, and 26.5 million in 2007.

As Archie and Edith Bunker sang…

Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

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4 Responses to “Republican Recession Watch: Food Stamp Usage Up”

  1. merlallen says:
    March 31, 2008 at 4:32 am

    I’m spending so much for gas I can barely afford food.

  2. durablend says:
    March 31, 2008 at 7:12 am

    (just to save Jay or Farris the trouble):

    Maybe these people need to get up off their ass and get another job (or three) that way they wouldn’t need to leech off the rest of us good patriotic Republican taxpayers!

    GET TO WORK YOU BUMS!!!!!!!

  3. jr says:
    March 31, 2008 at 9:23 am

    The Supply Side economics crowd don’t care how many people suffer as long as they can pray at the altar of St. Reagan every night

  4. Adam Herman says:
    April 1, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    Hold the phone. Haven’t the Democrats been in power in Congress since Jan. 2007?

    I’m not just being facetious. Historically, the party in control in Congress loses seats during a recession at the same time the party in the White House loses.

    In 1992, Bush lost the Presidency, but Democrats lost seats in Congress.