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One of every 50 federal dollars buys food stamps

Released: 
September 26, 2013

One in seven Americans rely on food stamps, costing taxpayers $78 billion in 2011.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a plan that would cut $39 billion in funding for food stamps over the next decade. House leaders are now working on a new Farm Bill that may or may not address the food stamps question, but time is short with other, major budget showdowns looming. So why are so many people on food stamps, and why is the program expensive enough to attract cuts? Today we take a look back at an old fact that explores the details on this wide-ranging nutrition program.

Food stamp costs have mushroomed. More than 46 million Americans about one in seven relied on food stamps in 2011, the equivalent of the entire populations of Texas and New York. The program consumed 2 percent of the federal budget, or $78 billion in fiscal 2011. Thats about the cost of the auto industry bailout.

Todays video spells out the details; check it out, then put your two cents in below. Do you know people on food stamps? What should be the fate of this program?