Trump Administration Offers Plan to Revamp Food Stamp Program

Rather than kick people off food stamps, the Trump Administration is offering a plan to revamp the program.

“What we do is propose that, for folks who are on food stamps — part, not all — part of their benefits come in the actual sort of — and I don’t want to steal somebody’s copyright — but a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash,” said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“It lowers the cost to us because we can buy prices at wholesale, whereas they have to buy it at retail,” Mulvaney added. “It also makes sure that they’re getting nutritious food. So we’re pretty excited about that. That’s a tremendous cost savings.”

Mulvaney makes a great point.

So the usual suspects are up in arms over it, of course, claiming that it “threatens families’ ability to put food on the table.” Huh?

As Hot Air‘s John Sexton notes: “This is how the defense of the welfare state always sounds. Any proposal to change or reduce the cost of an existing program is portrayed as a vicious assault on the needy recipients by cruel vulgarians taking pleasure in making people suffer.”

He’s right.

Recipients will still be able to select plenty of foods based on preference, because they’ll still be getting some money. They just won’t be getting it all.

As for this being a bit of a hardship, so what? When you are receiving taxpayer money to help you survive, you do not have grounds to be that picky — and I’m someone who has been dirt poor in the not-to-distant past. If someone wants to help, you either take the help that’s offered, or decline.

If someone offers help, they’re offering to help you in a certain way. You don’t get to force them to help you in a different way just because.

If you don’t like the help being offered, take it as motivation to get yourself off public assistance as quickly as possible. In fact, I can see that working out to be a feature of these food boxes in the long run. They might prompt a lot of people to realize they can survive without assistance, leaving the help to go to those who truly cannot.

Look, this plan would save money while still making sure poor people don’t starve. That means it’s worth a look all on its own. The fact that the welfare/vote-buying crowd is whining about it simply makes it that much sweeter.