The new rule would prohibit states from automatically enrolling people who are eligible for other welfare benefits.
SNAP
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Senators must support SNAP
For rural communities in Maine, the Farm Bill represents an enormous opportunity for growth. Every five years, lawmakers in Washington are able to make adjustments that can make or break family farms. But the bill does more than that. It also reauthorizes SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, which helps feed 180,000 Mainers. This year, […]
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Posted inLetters, sj-web
SNAP participants are not failing
Every year SNAP helps 40 million people buy the food they need to feed themselves and their family. It is one of the country’s most important safety nets. We have been fed the lie that those who participate in SNAP are undeserving because it’s the only way to justify the morally reprehensible fact that in […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bruce Poliquin hails House farm bill that Chellie Pingree opposes
An $867 billion farm bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House on Thursday includes two provisions pushed by Maine Republican Bruce Poliquin, who represents the largely rural 2nd District. At Poliquin’s urging, the measure includes work requirements for many adults to receive food aid and a provision to replace the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program […]
Posted inConnections, Lewiston-Auburn
Farmers' market participates in Maine Harvest Bucks program
AUBURN — The Auburn Farmers’ Market is participating in Maine Harvest Bucks, a program that helps thousands of Mainers eat more fruits and vegetables. People who buy food using SNAP have an average of $4 a day to spend on food. Maine Harvest Bucks doubles that amount and encourages shoppers to buy fruits and vegetables. […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Reject proposed farm bill
In my lifetime, hunger was a devastating problem in many parts of this country. The Food Stamp program saved lives by providing vital nutrition for families and single people who had fallen on hard times — nutrition that allowed them to learn in school, heal from illness and injury, hang on between jobs, and not […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Food box idea draws ire from Democrats, advocates
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pushing what it calls a “bold new approach to nutrition assistance”: replacing the traditional cash-on-a-card that food stamp recipients currently get with a pre-assembled box of canned foods and other shelf-stable goods dubbed “America’s Harvest Box.” Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney likened the box to […]
Posted inMaine
Why the Trump administration won’t let Maine ban soda and candy from food stamps
Momentum is building for new food stamp restrictions that would ban the purchase of candy and soda. This week, however, the Trump administration denied a request from the state of Maine that would have placed such restrictions on its food stamp program. The denial, issued Tuesday, is the first sign that President Donald Trump’s Department […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
USDA says Paul LePage’s threat can end food stamps in Maine
PORTLAND — If Gov. Paul LePage follows through on this threat to cede Maine’s administration of the federal food stamp program, the federal agricultural agency said it can’t run it, due to a lack of authority and funding. Maine unsuccessfully applied for a waiver to ban using food stamps for buying sugary drinks and candy. […]