Governor Bullock Quietly Saves Jobs & SNAP Benefits From Cuts
by jhwygirl
I saw nothing in the news about this until I opened a cryptic email from the Governor’s office last week telling me how he took steps to stop the SNAP cuts brought on by the most recently approved Farm Bill.
Under the Farm Bill, more than 2,000 Montana households would see their nutrition assistance deeply slashed. These irresponsible cuts would force many Montana seniors and people with disabilities to choose between putting food on the table and paying for medications and other necessities. It would also cut $2 million of spending to Montana businesses.
These cuts were unacceptable, so yesterday I took action to stop them. Thanks to a common sense solution, we protected this important nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable Montanans and prevented the harm to Montana businesses.
What did Governor Bullock do? The Billings Gazette gives us the specifics. It really wasn’t much:
Gov. Steve Bullock authorized changes to the home heating assistance program for the poor on Wednesday.
For a mere $24,000 – by dropping food stamp assistance from $50 in heating assistance over 5 years to $21 in heating assistance over 5 years – Governor Bullock saves SNAP cuts for more than 2,000 struggling Montanans.
And in the process – it’s well known that for every $1 in food assistance, $1.70 is created in economic stimulus – Bullock preserved at least $3.4 million in economic stimulus here in Montana.
As an agriculture state? Where SNAP assistance can be spent at local food markets? Logic wold tell us that the dollar economic stimulus factor is even greater.
Of course, Bullock’s move sent Speaker of the House John Boehner into a tizzy.
I hope Boehner lost sleep. Lots of it.
I’m smiling – and I’ve no doubt the Governor’s conscience is clear.
Good move, Steve – good move.
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March 16, 2014 at 10:23 pm
We have a food stamp card in my house. It’s under my son’s name (he’s 3) and you know what we do with the $100 we get each month? We spend it at the supermarket.
Yes, that’s what we do. I just thought you might want to know what this devil that’s costing the country its future looks like. Well, that’s how republicans like to paint this.
I just don’t understand why republicans don’t want money coming into our local communities.
Each time we have a chance to bring federal money to the state, republicans are shooting it down. This has already seriously undermined both our metropolitan and rural hospitals, and it’s now affecting small Montana children.
We already lost out in my house earlier this winter when we got our LIEAP application turned down. Since my wife wasn’t yet a citizen (our application was held up by the government closure) we had to stay cold.
I just don’t understand why republicans don’t care about poor, cold children.
As for Boehner, that man’s an alcoholic with serious emotional imbalances. I think he might be self-medicating as a way to deal with a more serious and un-diagnosed condition, perhaps bipolar.
I wish him luck with his mental problems and just hope he can get some government assistance to lessen his financial burden.