House Democrats gathered Tuesday in the Capitol to defend the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) — better known as food stamps — and push back on Republicans for using the program as a political football.
“It is in our economic best interest to maintain strong SNAP funding and I am shocked by the contempt Republicans have directed at many struggling Americans,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
Newt Gingrich, for instance, often calls Barack Obama the “food stamp president.”
Said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “I know it’s fashionable among Republicans to demonize the poor, but the fact is that SNAP is one of the most effective programs we have.”
Behind the Dems’ defense of SNAP is an important point: studies have found that food stamps are among the most stimulative economic measures available during a recession, a conclusion corroborated by the Congressional Budget Office.
