Congress axes $8.6bn from food stamps in farm bill
Richer farmers get bigger subsidies in immediate snub to Barack Obama's State of the Union call for action on inequality
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/29/congress-86bn-food-stamps-farm-bill
Congress has agreed to cut $8.6bn from the federal food stamp program while increasing government subsidies for richer farmers, dealing a swift rebuke to Barack Obama's call for a year of action on economic inequality.
Within hours of the president's State of the Union speech, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to adopt the measures as part of a wide-ranging farm bill that passed by 251 to 166 votes and has already been endorsed by the Senate’s Democratic leadership.
The cuts to federal food stamps come on top of a $5bn cut in November and will reduce payments to 1.7 million of the poorest Americans by an estimated $90 a month.
Republicans had sought even higher cuts but ...
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