President Donald Trump’s proposed 2019 budget is a slap in the face to low-income families in a host of ways. What got my attention is the proposal to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the food-stamp program. I manage a food bank in North Seattle, and every day I see folks who are left behind in our city’s booming economy struggle to put food on the table for their children.
For 42.2 million Americans—the majority of whom are the elderly, the disabled and the working poor—SNAP makes it possible to purchase healthy, culturally appropriate food. And every time you hear a “welfare queen” story, just know that SNAP has a minuscule 1.4 percent fraud rate. SNAP works. And programs that work deserve to be expanded, especially in these trying economic times.
And the White House’s proposal to replace benefits with a box of canned goods and shelf-stable milk? This depressing solution only demonstrates the cruelty of the administration toward the most vulnerable.
Casey Hobbs, Seattle
