Welch says Ryan plan would cut foodstamps by 20 percent
by Anne Galloway | April 27, 2011
vtdigger.org
Rep. Peter Welch meets with hunger relief advocates including Rob Meehan of CEFS. PHOTO CREDIT: VTD/Josh Larkin
The federal budget cuts that have the backing of Tea Party activists in Congress would cut the foodstamps program by 20 percent over the next 10 years.
The $127 billion in reductions over the next decade proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, would be subject to negotiations and approval by the Senate and President Barack Obama.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., met with officials from the Vermont Foodbank, the state Department of Children and Families, and Hunger Free Vermont, to find out how the federal budget cuts could impact Vermonters.
Welch’s stop at the Foodbank in Barre on Tuesday was part of his statewide “Budget Priorities Tour.”
“We’ve got to fight back on the budget,” Welch told the group of a dozen hunger advocates who gathered around a conference table at the facility in the Wilton Industrial Park to tell the congressman their concerns. He said, “A lot of people say the budget is a moral document, which it is, it speaks to our values.”
Ryan has called for a 12 percent reduction in discretionary spending and he has said his plan will cut $4 trillion from the federal budget in 10 years. Welch said the cuts don’t touch the areas of growth in the budget: tax breaks for the wealthy, military spending on two wars or tax expenditures.
Consequently, Ryan’s proposal will result in more spending — $8 trillion more — rather than less. Welch estimates the budget deficit will grow from $14.3 trillion to $23 trillion in 10 years if the Ryan plan moves ahead.
The effect of the cuts in Vermont would be swift and sweeping. About 15 percent of Vermonters, or 93,000, receive food stamps or 3SquaresVT. Under a new proposed federal block grant program, food shelves would apply for funding in a competitive process. As a result of these changes to the program, thousands of Vermonters would be cut from the rolls of the program, and thousands more would see benefits reduced.
The Center for Budget Policy and Priorities estimates that Vermont would lose $220 million in foodstamp funding over 10 years, or $22 million a year, if Ryan’s budget proposal is adopted. In 2009, Vermont distributed more than $100 million worth of Vermont groceries through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is managed by the Vermont Department of Children and Families.
When Vermonters can’t get access to foodstamps or need supplemental food, they turn to the Vermont Foodbank. John Sayles, the CEO of the nonprofit organization which provides food to dozens of food shelves around the state, said his organization would have to distribute three times the amount of foodstuffs it does now in order to fill the current level of need.
The foodbank relies on The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, and the commodity supplemental food program for about 35 percent of the emergency food it distributes. Sayles explained that the amount of TEFAP food could be cut in half because of a surge in the market price of commodities.
“If we cut SNAP, it’s not just going to affect the unemployed, it’s also going to be our military personnel, and full-time employees with benefits,” Sayles said.
Thirty percent of 3SquaresVT recipients are working full time, according to Renee Richardson, director of nutrition programs for the Department for Children and Families.
The federal cuts would likely result in some Vermonters going hungry or suffering from malnutrition, according to advocates at the meeting. The residents who use the system most are veterans, children, seniors and people with disabilities.
Jim Harrison, executive director of the Vermont Grocers’ Association, described 3SquaresVT as a real success, not only for recipients but also for the state’s economy. Every dollar of federal spending translates into $1.84 in total spending, Harrison said. The total economic impact of food stamps is about $135 million, or about 850 jobs, he said. “Those dollars have a footprint,” Harrison said.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that taking them away has other costs.” Sayles said the government must provide a safety net. “Sometimes people say feeding people who can’t feed themselves is charity work and should be supported by charities,” Sayles said. “My response is, we had that system before and people were starving.”
