Trying to better understand folks existing on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), U.S. Senator Chris Murphy this week is surviving on a food stamp budget of $4.80 per day or $1.60 per meal that is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Food Stamp Program’s average monthly benefit is $143.89 per Connecticut family member.
“427,000 people in Connecticut rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families,” said Murphy. “Spending some time living on this budget gives policymakers a firsthand look at the realities of maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet on an extremely limited budget. It’s not easy, but it’s important for people in Washington to understand what our constituents who rely on SNAP face every day. Some lawmakers have proposed steep, damaging cuts to SNAP as part of the Farm Bill here in Congress, and we owe it our constituents to face up to the reality of those cuts.”
As of January 2013, according to Murphy, 427,000 Connecticut residents participated in the program, representing 12 percent of the state’s population. Nearly 61 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children, and more than 33 percent of SNAP participants are in families with elderly or disabled members. About 33 percent of SNAP participants are in working families.
Murphy comments on his first food stamp day:
I didn’t eat anything until got the airport at 1 o’clock. By that point I was absolutely starving. I was not interested in sitting in a hot plane for an hour with my stomach screaming for me. So I searched the airport for whatever I could find for a dollar. The only option was a bagel. Adding cream cheese and/or butter would have almost doubled the price. I got the “everything bagel,” plain, for $1.11. I got a little extra flavor [from the everything toppings]. But it was still a pretty meager lunch.
Murphy will keep track of his meals and post observations throughout the week via Twitter and Facebook.
Our friends at the New Haven Independent share more.
Ask him to try to live in a Section 8 housing apartment for awhile. See how he likes that. Then ask him to approve a 10% reduction in his salary and require him to be eligible for Obamacare like the rest of us. And finally, tell him to promote TERM LIMITS at all levels of government to reduce corruption and to get rid of those who are milking the system.
Mike Marella lives in a Section 8 housing apartment in the 138th, while he sits on the City Council, and he eats shit-on-toast, but I know he hates toast.
I’ll take my meds now.
In a related matter, I disapprove of The BREW BILL as proposed by Senator Murphy and hope it never becomes law.
www .murphy.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=342800
Here’s the worst part: it rewards brewers who underproduce beer. STOP “suds”sidizing beer.
PBS Frontline did a segment on the food stamp program and the CT Post has the case figures by town posted (18,000 in Bridgeport). Murphy’s stunt is just pandering to a segment of the Democratic party voter base. The SNAP (food stamps) program is supplemental, it is not intended to be the only source of funding for food.
Corey Booker, mayor of Newark did this last year, for much longer than one week. It is a start but I would like to see the Senator do this for a month or two.
*** This is just a political P/R stunt that in the end will not help those who really need it but serve as merely a pro Democratic party elections booster in general. Let’s get cracking on some real lower-income people bills that will help those who need it the most, no? ***
Even if it is a stunt, it is a good thing because it focuses attention on families that get inadequate nutrition, many of whom are working at low-paying minimum wage jobs. Mr. White would do well to follow the Senator’s example.
Poor Chris Murphy. Talk about late to the party–just woke up from winter’s hibernation? Not only is this old news but Cory Booker did it so much better.