Food Stamp Cuts Kick In

Low-income Americans are bracing for $5 billion in food stamp cuts to go into effect Friday, slashing monthly benefits for the one in seven Americans who depend on them to feed their families. Needy Americans are expected to lose about $36 per month on the average $275.13 household benefit. The cuts are hitting now because extra funding provided in President Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill is expiring, and bipartisan groups of lawmakers voted to keep the cuts in exchange for increased education funding and school nutrition programs. In addition to the impact on the poor, the cuts are expected to have a negative impact on the economy, decreasing sales for grocers and other food retailers.