Illinois Democrats bring home food stamp message
Two Illinois Democrats met in Chicago with food stamp beneficiaries as Congress began its summer recess.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky say the food stamp program is not the place to look for drastic cuts. A group of House Republicans wants to cut the program — also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — by as much as 5 percent, or about $4 billion a year.
The current farm and food law expires in September. If there’s no agreement between the House and Senate on what to do about food stamps, Congress could vote to extend the law as it is, at the expense of many planned updates to agricultural policy.
Government data show about 2 million Illinois residents receive food stamps.
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.