House OKs $39 Billion in Food-Stamp Cuts

More uplifting news from Washington. On Thursday evening, the House passed a Republican-backed plan to cut $39 billion in food-stamp funding over the coming decade. The vote was 217 to 210, without a single Democratic vote, and doubles the amount of cuts in a similar bill that was rejected in June. The food-stamp program is used by 48 million low-income Americans, and this bill's enactment would force 3 million out of the program, with cuts for 850,000 extra. But it's a long way from that—the White House has already threatened to veto the plan.