[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/22\/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-children-get-hungrier#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/22\/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-children-get-hungrier","headline":"The Poor Get Poorer, and the Children Get Hungrier","name":"The Poor Get Poorer, and the Children Get Hungrier","description":"The whole idea of food stamps is to give people a leg up so they can become independently sustainable, not to keep them in such a low level of poverty that climbing out seems hopeless.","datePublished":"2018-07-06","dateModified":"2018-07-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin#Person","name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FoodStamps.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":100,"height":100},"url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/22\/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-children-get-hungrier","about":["Congress Attacks Foodstamps","News"],"wordCount":572,"keywords":["22"],"articleBody":"The whole idea of food stamps is to give people a leg up so they can become independently sustainable, not to keep them in such a low level of poverty that climbing out seems hopeless. And yet, for lawmakers in the poorest parts of the country, that seems to be exactly what they\u2019re aiming for. Cutting food stamps in the poorest towns and cities makes no sense at all, and if cuts should happen anywhere, it should be in wealthier cities with more available opportunities.Where It\u2019s Happeningmsnbc has found\u00a0that Humphreys County in Mississippi, a county of just under 10,000, is the worst-off in the nation. There, a whopping two out of five people (41.2%) live in poverty, while a third (32.8%) don\u2019t have access to the kind of food that would contribute to a healthy, active lifestyle (aka food insecurity). The latter figure is also the highest in the United States, and more than double the national average of 15.9%.The data, gathered by Feeding America in their annual\u00a0Map the Meal Gap\u00a0report, also looked at food insecurity at how many children are affected, and a new \u201cwinner\u201d emerged: Zavala County in Texas, with 40.8% of children not being properly nourished.These two counties have more in common than simply being hotbeds of poverty and food insecurity: both of their Congress representatives are Democrats (Bennie Thompson \u2013 Humphreys County, Pete Gallego \u2013 Zavala County), and both voted in favor earlier this year to cut billions from food stamps.The Reasoning WhyIt should be noted that for the last two rounds of proposed cuts to food stamps in the Farm Bill, Thompson voted against them. However, this time around, he did vote for cuts, rationalizing it by saying in a statement, \u201c[the Farm Bill] provides a safety net for farmers, while ensuring no Mississippian participating in [the food stamp program] will see a decrease in their benefits.\u201dWhat Thompson conveniently left out is that while it\u2019s true recipients won\u2019t see a cut in their food stamps, the raising of the Heat and Eat threshold\u00a0does\u00a0eliminate access to a host of other benefits, the likes of which are necessary to be able to scrape by.Gallego, who did issue a statement to msnbc, said, \u201cI didn\u2019t come to Washington to be part of the problem. It was in the best interests of Zavala and other counties that we move forward with a farm bill and provide certainty to ranchers, farmers, food banks, and other providers.\u201dAnd what\u00a0Gallego\u00a0left out is those taken care of in the Farm Bill are not the ones most in need of food stamps. While the season is long gone to make a very tidy living as a farmer or rancher, what separates them from others included in the Farm Bill is assets. However poor or struggling farmers and ranchers may be, they always have the option of selling off land or equipment to better their lives. Most people in the SNAP program do not.So until we see firmer and more direct action from elected representatives that will actually help the poor get on their feet, it\u2019s nothing more than dog whistle politics."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ID","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/\/ID\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"22","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/\/ID\/\/22\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The Poor Get Poorer, and the Children Get Hungrier","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/22\/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-children-get-hungrier#breadcrumbitem"}]}]