Tag Archives: poverty

CBS News reports: The partial government shutdown glided into its third week Saturday with no end in sight. If the government is not reopened before February, millions of Americans who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the nation’s food stamp program — could have their assistance disrupted. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP at …

“Prior to President Bush, there were like, food stamps. So they had this stigma about them, so people wouldn’t want to be on even if they qualify. But now it’s like an EBT swipe card, it’s a debit card. So they take the shame out of it. What the Trump Administration is saying is, come on guys, the economy’s doing good. …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive …

Politico reports: HUD Secretary Ben Carson is backing off plans to triple the minimum rent paid by some of the country’s poorest households, citing Congress’ move to defy the administration and boost his agency’s budget. The proposal to increase the minimum rent paid by rental assistance beneficiaries is no longer “urgent,” due to the additional resources in the HUD budget, …

Fox News reports: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is firing back at critics who claim his proposal to reform federal government housing subsidies is an “example of the Trump administration’s war on poor people,” as one congressional Democrat put it. “I would say it’s just the opposite,” Carson said in a phone interview this week with Fox News. …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration is considering a plan that would allow states to require certain food stamp recipients to undergo drug testing, handing a win to conservatives who’ve long sought ways to curb the safety net program. The proposal under review would be narrowly targeted, applying mostly to people who are able-bodied, without dependents and applying for …

Politico reports: The Trump administration is proposing to save billions in the coming years by giving low-income families a box of government-picked, nonperishable foods every month instead of food stamps. White House OMB Director Mick Mulvaney on Monday hailed the idea as one that kept up with the modern era, calling it a “Blue Apron-type program” — a nod to …

Mediaite reports: In a Tuesday Instagram post, former House Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz took it upon himself to publicly shame a homeless man on the streets of New York City for the great crime of having a smartphone. Chaffetz is, FYI, the same GOP lawmaker who suggested poor Americans would be able to afford health care if they’d just …

The New York Times reports: Ben Carson does not like the creature comforts, at least not for low-income Americans reliant on the government for a helping hand. As he toured facilities for the poor in Ohio last week, Mr. Carson, the neurosurgeon-turned-housing secretary, joked that a relatively well-appointed apartment complex for veterans lacked “only pool tables.” He inquired at one …

TIME recaps: John Oliver turned his attention southward on Last Week Tonight to discuss Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is in a massive financial crisis, facing nearly $70 billion in debt, with a poverty rate of nearly 45%. “Puerto Rico is like the last Tower Records: everything’s overpriced, everyone’s being laid off, and there is still a really weird number …

Miranda Blue reports at Right Wing Watch: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who after dropping out of the GOP presidential race started shilling for his former rival Donald Trump, is praising Trump’s “shrewd plan” to make Mexico pay for a border wall by cutting off the money that immigrants send to their families. Huckabee told Newsmax’s Steve Malzberg yesterday that …

The Guardian reports: France has become the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities and food banks. Under a law passed unanimously by the French senate, as of Wednesday large shops will no longer bin good quality food approaching its best-before date. Charities will …

Talk about a fucking desperation pander to Teabagistan. The Washington Post reports: Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is calling for an end to the federal food stamp program as part of a proposed revamp of the nation’s welfare system. Bush would end the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, generally known as food stamps, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families …

Via the Movement Advancement Project: A landmark report released today paints a stark picture of the added financial burdens faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans because of anti-LGBT laws at the national, state and local levels. According to the report, these laws contribute to significantly higher rates of poverty among LGBT Americans and create unfair financial penalties …

The Redfin Research Center has compared the median home prices in major US cities to the estimated wealth of well-known billionaires. Just how rich is Bill Gates? According to Forbes, he’s the world’s richest person and is worth $77.5 billion. But that kind of wealth is hard to wrap your head around, so let’s put it another way: Gates could …

“My humble observation is that most long-term poverty is caused by self-sabotage by individuals. Drug use. Drunkenness. Having children without a family structure. Gambling. Poor work habits. Disastrously unfortunate appearance. Above all, and counted in the preceding list, psychological problems (very much including basic laziness) cause people to be unemployed, have poor or no work habits, and enter and stay …

From the New York Daily News: The number of city residents receiving aid under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, soared from 1.3 million in 2008 to 1.8 million today. Yet, with so many people in need, the biggest benefit reduction in the 50-year history of food stamps took effect Nov. 1. That’s when a …

“The left is making a big mistake here. What they’re offering people is a full stomach and an empty soul. The American people want more than that. This reminds me of a story I heard from Eloise Anderson. She serves in the cabinet of my buddy, Governor Scott Walker. She once met a young boy from a very poor family, …

Clip recap: It was the type of shout-fest debate that would not have been out of place in the original Crossfire. But instead of taking place on the reboot of that show, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) went head-to-head on CNN’s The Situation Room Monday afternoon. Once they got going, all host Wolf Blitzer had to …

Featuring a singing Newt Gingrich and Bill O’Reilly.  The “steak, vodka, and caviar” chorus is pretty catchy.