Senator Bernie Sanders discusses nutrition programs with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC's Politics Nation.
More than 47 million Americans who receive food stamps will see their benefits cut, beginning on Friday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said the “incomprehensible” cuts will “have a horrendous impact” and send more people to volunteer food banks that already are overwhelmed. A family of four receiving food stamps will get $36 less a month when the program intended to help people weather the recession runs out at midnight.
The cutoff comes as Senate and House negotiators are working to resolve differences in competing versions of a farm bill that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As the recession’s impact has lingered, 1 in 7 Americans are now on food stamps. The numbers have gone up as the economy has struggled to recover from the worst recession since the 1930s. Sanders was among 20 senators to sign a letter urging colleagues on to prevent “harmful cuts” and avoid putting up new barriers to participation in the program.
