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Community Corner

Republicans Continue Ruthless Crusade Against The Poor With Food Stamp Cuts

The Republican strategy to punish the poor did not stop there. Now the House passed a bill that doubled the cuts to SNAP included in the Republicans first farm bill proposal. Their bill cuts eligibility for millions and institute stringent new work requirements. It aims to eliminate benefits for out-of-work adults, even in high-unemployment areas. It would actually provide states with financial incentives to cut SNAP participation. In addition, it would add new hurdles that make it more difficult to administer benefits. Finally, it would include punitive measures--such as instituting costly mandatory drug testing for all beneficiaries. If the nutrition cuts in the first farm bill did not go far enough to take food from the mouths of hungry families, this legislation surely will.

It appears that the loudest voices within the Republican Party, the ones who have an illogical aversion to feeding children, are driving their colleagues down a destructive highway with no exits. I refuse to sit silently as they try to take us all for a ride. With talk of a government shutdown and of welfare reform, I keep asking myself: is it 1995 or 2013? It's the same sad script; only the cast has changed.

The House GOP seems to have forgotten that in America, when our neighbors are hurting, we do all we can to lend support. This guiding philosophy is an essential part of who we are as a community and as a nation. Contrary to today's Republican ideology, our nation does not suffer when we help our neighbors. It prospers.

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Rep. Gwen Moore (D Wi)

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