Posted 5/16/2025

The original Food Stamp Program started on May 16, 1939 during the Great Depression. The program was set to last four years. At that time, the government was trying to manage agricultural surpluses and feed starving people. Due to unemployment, a lot of people couldn't afford to buy groceries and farmers were not getting paid for some of their produce. It looked like a way to solve both problems at once. Food stamps became a permanent project with the passage of the Food Stamp Act of 1964 (yes, there is such a thing). The Food Stamp Act was later revised in 1977 and eventually became SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in 2008. The government is now spending billions, 110 billion dollars annually, dolling out stamps to families and individuals across the country. One flaw may be that the program deviated from the way it was previously structured... Click Here.

Stamps, or SNAP benefits, can now be used to purchase a wide assortment of foods instead of that marked as surplus. This provided an opportunity for retailers to take advantage of those who wield stamps, purchasing indiscriminately, without the regard for budgeting - its free food after all. A study by the Foundation for Government Accountability found that SNAP benefits were linked to a 15% increase in grocery prices.... Click Here.

House Republicans are now proposing that funding be slashed to the tune of 290 billion dollars... Click Here.