- 09/19/2013 by Linda Perry Barr (WBAI News)

At a time where one in seven Americans receives food stamps, the House of Representatives voted to cut $4 billion a year from the program.  The vote was 217 to 210, a win for conservatives. The bill would end waivers for able bodied people without dependents, put in a new work requirement and test applicants for drugs. The food stamp program would be slashed by 5%, at a time when poverty in New York has increased by 5% according to Federal census data.

In New York City, 1.4 million, including half a million children, live in homes which can't afford to buy enough food. They are food insecure and soup kitchens and food pantries are having a hard time keeping up with the growing need to provide more and more people with food.