A Million People Are About to Lose Food Stamps Because of Kasich-Clinton Welfare Reform

[cali]

are both running to the left. But because of a quirk of timing, more than 1 million Americans are about to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food stamp benefits because of a conservative reform bill that both Kasich and Clinton backed two decades ago. From the AP:

More than 1 million low-income residents in 21 states could soon lose their government food stamps if they fail to meet work requirements that began kicking in this month ... The provision applies to able-bodied adults ages 18 through 49 who have no children or other dependents in their home. It requires them to work, volunteer or attend education or job-training courses at least 80 hours a month to receive food aid. If they don't, their benefits are cut off after three months.

The requirement in question—which can be waived during times of high unemployment but is kicking in now because waivers given out during the post-2008 recession are expiring—was set by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, aka the "welfare reform" bill. The bill was introduced in Congress by Kasich and signed by Bill Clinton; Hillary Clinton has long described it as a significant achievement. The New York Times reported in 2008 that Clinton had "expressed no misgivings about the 1996 legislation" during an interview in which she said welfare should be "a temporary way station for people who [need] immediate assistance."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/02/01/impending_food_stamp_cutoff_was_set_by_kasich_clinton_bill_in_1990s.html

[KingCharlemagne]

1. Hillary supported the Welfare Reform Bill of 1996. Hungry poor people are not

her base.

[cali]

2. I think you meant 1998

But yeah.

[KingCharlemagne]

3. Edited. Thanks for the quick annotation. Think it was actually 1996, IIRC - nt

[cali]

4. Right you are.

[Darb]

5. Disingenuous much?

Hillary was First Lady when that happened. Not President.

[cali]

6. Hey, Hillary just baked cookies and gave teas.

Nope. She lobbied for it.

[Darb]

8. I'd like to see some evidence of that. Not saying she didn't, but I am saying

SHE WAS FIRST LADY. So it basically doesn't mean jack shit.

Nice reach.

[KingCharlemagne]

7. She has stated publicly time and again that she supported (and presumably still supports)

it. So who's being disingenuous??????

[KingCharlemagne]

10. FFS. I'm not getting in a pissing match with you. You sure this is a hill

you care to die on?

http://www.salon.com/2015/11/02/the_betrayal_that_should_haunt_hillary_clinton_how_she_sold_out_working_women_then_never_apologized/

[Darb]

11. I think that you replied to my post, which called out

the disingenuous idea of saying Hillary voted on a bill while First Lady. Which we all know is not only horseshit, it is fucking impossible.

[KingCharlemagne]

12. Move the goal posts much, do you? Read it and weep, partner:

http://www.salon.com/2015/11/02/the_betrayal_that_should_haunt_hillary_clinton_how_she_sold_out_working_women_then_never_apologized/

[cali]

16. Don't bother with that poster

[Darb]

21. Don't bother getting your ass handed to ya.

Ain't that right Cali? No run alert on me.

[cali]

23. Okay Baghdad Darb.

[Darb]

20. Are you suggesting that it was Hillary Clinton's bill?

That it didn't start with a Republican congress? That it was vetoed twice by Clinton? Yes. I read it. I happen to agree with some of it. Some of it didn't really work out as hoped, even liberal states decreased their welfare rolls after it passed.

This was not Hillary Clinton's bill. It was not Bill Clinton's bill. It was Republican and was vetoed twice. Now I'm no congressional historian, but I bet there was a lot of compromising going on at the time with all sorts of inter-twined issues of the day.

But lets make sure we get this straight, it was disingenuous to make it sound like it was Hillary Clinton who created and passed welfare reform. If not for a Repubic Congress, it doesn't see the light of day.

[closeupready]

15. But WAIT! His avatar has funky glasses! CHECKMATE!!

[Darb]

22. Weird.

Jussayin.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

18. "and presumably still supports"

I dunno. After her about face on "traditional" marriage and single-payer healthcare I think it would be fair to say nothing is definite -- except the impulse to triangulate.

[John Poet]

25. Hillary thinks it was a significant achievement.

So did the Republicans.

[jham123]

13. It's good to be the King

I think the King and the OP have a point

[dreamnightwind]

14. Per the NY Times. And who does the NY Times endorse this year?

Why, Clinton and Kasich! Can't make this stuff up.

[oasis]

17. "applies to able bodied adults 18-49 who have no children".

Not an issue in the GE.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. #AWinIsAWin!

[Ferd Berfel]

24. Hillary Clinton has long described it as a significant achievement.

That's our Goldwater Girl

[G_j]

26. N.C. food stamp change concerns advocates for poor

http://www.thetimesnews.com/article/20160130/NEWS/160139960

By The Associated Press

Posted Jan. 30, 2016 at 2:40 PM
Updated Jan 30, 2016 at 2:41 PM

RALEIGH — Advocates for the poor are concerned about rule changes threatening food stamp benefits for 110,000 people in North Carolina if they don't meet work requirements.

The change in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program affects able-bodied people ages 18 through 49 with no dependents. It requires them to work, volunteer or attend education or job-training at least 80 hours a month to receive food aid. If they don't, their benefits are cut off after three months.

“What's problematic about this policy is that it's not a test of one's willingness to work,” said Tazra Mitchell, a policy analyst at the left-leaning nonprofit North Carolina Budget and Tax Center. “It applies regardless. No matter how hard they're looking for a job, if they don't find one in three months, their food aid is gone.”

The requirements date back to a 1996 federal welfare reform law, but they were waived for nearly every state during the recession that began in 2008. North Carolina is among 21 states where the waiver ends this year.

Across the country, an Associated Press analysis shows nearly 1.1 million adults stand to lose their benefits this year if they do not find a way to meet work requirements. The number affected in North Carolina is among the largest, following Florida's 300,000 and Tennessee's 150,000.

The waiver expired in January in 23 North Carolina counties, while the rest will lose the waiver by July 1.