Trump Wants to Give Out Food Boxes Instead of Food Stamps

The Trump administration is pushing to scrap the food-stamp program for low-income people and replace it with boxes full of government-picked, nonperishable food items, Politico reports. The proposal, touted by White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as a “Blue Apron-type program,” was included in the White House’s 2019 fiscal budget released Monday. The plan would slash the amount of money low-income families receive as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for a product dubbed “America’s Harvest Box.” That box would include staples like shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, canned fruits and meats, and cereal. While the USDA claims the plan would save the government $129 billion over the next decade, critics have panned it as reminiscent of wartime rations. The logistics of the proposal were also unclear, with critics questioning how the boxes would be distributed in rural areas and how families with special dietary needs would be accommodated.