KIND OF >>> TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
ANNOUNCED TODAY IT IS GOING
FORWARD WITH A PLAN TO KICK
NEARLY 700,000 PEOPLE OFF OF
FOOD STAMPS.
FOOD STAMPS. THE ADMINISTRATION FORMALIZING A
RULE THAT MAKES IT HARDER FOR
STATES TO WAIVE FEDERAL
STANDARDS TO QUALIFY FOR THE
FOOD PROGRAM KNOWN AS SNAP.
THE SECRETARY PURDUE SAID THE
CHANGE WAS TO SAVE MONEY AND
QUOTE RESTORE THE DIGNITY OF
WORK TO FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS.
WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO IS THE
GOVERNMENT SAYING IN MANY AREAS
IF YOU CANNOT FIND A JOB YOU
CANNOT GET FOOD STAMPS.
THE WORK REQUIREMENT RULE WOULD
SAVE THE GOVERNMENT $5.5 BILLION
OVER FIVE YEARS, JUST FOR
CONTEXT HERE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS AUTHORIZED
$16 BILLION THIS YEAR ALONE TO
MAKE WELFARE PAYMENTS TO
AGRI BUSINESS AFFECTED BY
TRUMP’S TRADE WAR.
IT REPRESENTS JUST ONE PHASE FOR
TRUMP’S PLANNED CUTS FOR THE $34
MILLION FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS.
THE URBAN INSTITUTE WHO STUDIES
THIS SORT OF THING ESTIMATES THE
MEASURES WOULD CUT 3.7 BILLION
FROM THE SNAP PROGRAM.
CRITICS SAY THIS IS AN ATTACK ON
THE POOREST AMERICANS AND THEIR
ABILITY TO FEED THEMSELVES.
AND JOINING ME NOW IS ONE OF
THOSE CRITICS, THE TOP DEMOCRAT
ON THE SENATE AGRICULTURE
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. SENATOR, WHY DO YOU OPPOSE THIS
MOVE BY THE ADMINISTRATION?
>> WELL, CHRIS, FIRST I WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR LIFTING THIS UP.
IT’S A BUSY DAY, A LOT GOING ON.
I THINK THEY HOPED IT MIGHT
SLIDE BY WITHOUT A LOT OF
ATTENTION, SO THANK YOU.
OUR ANALYSIS TODAY ACTUALLY
SHOWS WHY THEY SAY IT’S 700,000
IT’S REALLY CLOSE TO A MILLION
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. SOMEBODY GOES OUT TO THE MALL
DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND GETS A
JOB BUT THEN THE JOB GOES AWAY
IN JANUARY OR A WAITRESS OR
WAITER THAT CAN’T CONTROL THEIR
OWN WAGES OR SOMEONE IN MICHIGAN
WHO’S WORKING PART TIME DURING
THE SUMMER SEASON OR DURING THE
WINTER SEASON.
WINTER SEASON. SO IT’S PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF THE
ECONOMY, AND THEY’RE TIGHTENING
THINGS UP.
THINGS UP. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THEY’RE
REJECTING WHAT WE DID IN THE
FARM BILL, ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS
WE VOTED THIS POLICY DOWN.
AND THERE ARE 47 OF US WITH LISA
MURKOWSKI AND MYSELF WHO SENT A
LETTER TO THE USDA SAYING DON’T
DO THIS, AND YET THEY ARE
PROCEEDING ANYWAY.
PROCEEDING ANYWAY. >> THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY NEXT
QUESTION.
QUESTION. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS WAS
LITIGATED IN THE FARM BILL, THAT
THERE WAS A PLAN TO WRITE THIS
INTO LAW, AND IT FAILED.
IT DIDN’T HAVE POLITICAL
SUPPORT, AND IN FACT WHAT DID
HAVE BIPARTISAN POLITICAL
SUPPORT FOR THE FARM BILL THAT
PASSED, THAT IS WHAT AUTHORIZES
SNAP BY THE FIRST BRANCH OF THE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WAS NOT
TO DO THIS.
CAN THEY THEN DO IT?
>> WELL, IT’S LIKE EVERYTHING
ELSE THEY’RE DOING.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR A
WAY NOW TO PUSH BACK.
YOU’RE RIGHT.
YOU’RE RIGHT. IN THE SENATE IT WAS TOTALLY
REJECTED ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS.
THE FINAL FARM BILL DID NOT HAVE
THIS IN IT.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT DID HAVE IT
IN, BY THE WAY WAS JOB TRAINING
PROGRAMS WHICH I REALLY WISH
THEY’D IMPLEMENT.
THEY’D IMPLEMENT. BUZZ IF WE WANT TO LIFT PEOPLE
UP, IT’S NOT BY PUNISHING THEM,
BY TAKING AWAY WHAT IS AN
AVERAGE OF $161 A MONTH.
AND SO INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, WE
CAN LIFT PEOPLE UP AND HELP THEM
WITH JOB TRAINING.
SO WHAT WE’RE FIGURING OUT NOW
SINCE THEY PROCEEDED EVEN THOUGH
WE HAD ALL KINDS OF ADVOCATES,
ALL OF US THAT SENT IN LETTERS
SAYING DON’T DO THIS, AND THEN
WE HAVE TO DETERMINE IF THERE’S
SOME OTHER WAY WE CAN STOP THIS.
THERE IS A MECHANISM TO BLOCK A
RULE THAT WE’RE NOW LOOKING AT.
>> JUST IN TERMS OF THE POLITICS
OF THIS, I MEAN THERE’S SOME
THINGS THAT THEY DO THAT THEY
SEEM TO BE CATERING TO A
POLITICAL BASE OR THEY THINK --
THERE’S NO CONSTITUENCY OR NO
MASS CONSTITUENCY ON THE HILL
FOR THIS AS FAR AS I CAN TELL,
CORRECT?
CORRECT? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS JUST THE WELFARE
POLITIC.
POLITIC. THAT’S ALL IT IS THE OLD, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WORK,
AND THEY’RE GETTING ALL THIS
MONEY FOR FOOD.
THEY’RE BUYING STEAKS AT THE
GROCERY STORE.
GROCERY STORE. YOU KNOW, IT’S THAT OLD STORY OF
THE WOMAN WHO’S COMING IN WITH
13 KIDS AND A CADILLAC AND
BUYING STEAKS.
BUYING STEAKS. AND I WISH I COULD FIND HER.
I’VE LOOKED FOR HER ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY AND I CAN’T FIND HER, BY
THE WAY.
THE WAY. BUT IT’S JUST GOING TO THAT, YOU
KNOW, THIS BIAS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
THAT SOMEHOW WE SHOULDN’T HELP
FOLKS.
FOLKS. >> HERE’S THE THING I CAN’T GET
MY HEAD AROUND.
SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE
TO WORK.
TO WORK. THEY SHOULDN’T GET SOMETHING
FROM NOTHING.
FROM NOTHING. THE PRESIDENT IS WRITING 18, $16
BILLION CHECKS TO FARMERS TO
MAKE UP FOR THE TRADE WAR HE
HIMSELF STARTED AND THERE’S
MONEY FOR THAT SOMEHOW.
WHERE DID THAT MONEY COME FROM?
>> THIS IS FRUSTRATING.
FIRST OF ALL WE HAVE MORE
ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE NUTRITION
PROGRAM IN SNAP THAN THEY ARE
NOW USING FOR THESE FARM
PAYMENTS.
PAYMENTS. WE PUT IN THE FARM BILL PAYMENT
LIMITS THAT YOU CAN -- WE WANT
TO SUPPORT FARMERS.
I SUPPORT FARMERS STRONGLY IN
MICHIGAN.
MICHIGAN. IT’S OUR SECOND LARGEST
INDUSTRY, BUT WE PUT PARAMETERS
AROUND ACCOUNTABILITY, PAYMENT
LIMES OF WHICH THEY’RE
COMPLETELY BLOWING THROUGH.
THEY’RE NOT EVEN FOLLOWING THE
FARM BILL ACCOUNTABILITY ON
THESE PAYMENTS.
THESE PAYMENTS. >> REALLY?
>> REALLY? >> AND I JUST PUT OUT A REPORT
SHOWING THEM A MAJORITY OF
PAYMENTS AREN’T EVEN GOING TO
THE FOLKS THAT ARE HURT THE
MOST.
MOST. THE MAJORITY OF THE PAYMENTS ARE
GOING TO THE SOUTH.
THEY’RE GOING TO FOLKS THAT
COMMODITIES -- BIG, BIG
COMMODITIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN
IMPACTED, NOT THE MIDWEST THAT
ARE LOSING THEIR MARKETS.
SO THIS WHOLE THING, IT’S NOT
FAIR.
FAIR. IT BOGGLES THE MIND.