Many Americans are living in poverty and rely on government assistance programs. These government-funded programs offer a range of aid to those who need it, like food stamps, cash assistance, childcare, transportation, health insurance, and housing. Food stamps, however, are one of the most important sources of assistance to many Americans, offering nutrition, help for low-income families, and, most importantly, keeps Americans out of poverty. Over the years, there have been changes in how to obtain food stamps and who qualify, creating restrictions from proof of income, documents, interviews, and now requirements in working a set number of hours a week. These restrictions are a bit extreme and not needed; they are affecting the many Americans that rely on this program.
Food stamps offer nutritional benefits for those eligible ("Policy Basics: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)", 2019). To qualify for these benefits, one must meet both gross and net monthly income limits, prove they are a U.S. citizen or immigration status, and household size. For able-bodied adults without dependents, they must work at least 20 hours a week. In order to continue receiving benefits, the recipient must provide this information periodically. The documents required to determine one's eligibility are reasonable, but if asked for more extensive documents and requirements, it can become harder for people to obtain or maintain benefits. With the growing number of individuals in need of assistance, resources are becoming more restricted. Many believe that most of the people who receive these benefits are abusing the system and become too dependent on it.
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With these benefits, recipients are only allowed to buy nutritional goods with an electronic debit card (EBT), and with the low amount of food stamps most receive, it's hard to "cheat" the system. The government guidelines placed for these benefits should not be changed or made more extreme. This government funded program is very important to many Americans. Creating more restrictions or taking it away would be detrimental. The changes made in obtaining food stamps affect single mothers, senior citizens, the disabled, people with reduced job hours, the homeless, and even students that receive free or subsidized lunches. Taking these benefits away will increase hardship and hunger. We must keep in mind that those who rely on government assistance live in poverty. With the new work requirements for those able-bodied who receive food stamps, recipients are required to work at least 20 hours a week for more than three months, over a 36-month period. This change (Robertson, 2020) will affect those with unreliable work hours. About 700,000 people will lose access to food stamps. Not to mention an attempt made last year to add work requirements to food stamps had failed in congress because it was believed that creating job training opportunities instead will help low-income Americans find good-paying jobs.
Many people believe that those who receive government assistance are lazy, and their tax payments should not go to such programs. "The congressional budget office projects that spending for food stamps will make up less than two percent of total federal spending"("Policy Basics: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)", 2019). Government assistance programs are vital for a large percentage of the U.S. These programs are meant to help people going through temporary and long-term hardships. The availability and funding for these programs are significantly vital to low-income Americans. It's not possible to have everyone agree with how food stamps are a must or how funding these programs is crucial, but these programs are very beneficial for many people for there to be such extreme restrictions or cuts.
The government should not put a restriction on the provision of food stamps, for they allow people from low-income families to get healthy meals. Malnutrition does affect not only people in developing countries but also American citizens (Bush & Welsh, 2014). Individuals suffer from hunger for they are feeding on the wrong food; this includes meals that lack the required essential vitamins, proteins, and carbohydrates. When one lacks nutrients, they will be exposed to different types of ailments that may affect their health, thus leading to death. These diseases include Kwashiorkor, Marasmus, goiter, and rickets; when a child is suffering these ailments, they will not grow up normally. A child suffering from malnutrition will be affected in academics for they will not perform well in class, for they are inattentive, they miss school and repeat classes. The food stamps allow parents of the malnourished children to gain access to proper meals. The nutritional meals also help the government fight the increasing cases of obesity in the United States, thus preventing deaths caused by diabetes, hypertension, and heart attack.
Food Stamps are beneficial, but some people are using fraudulent means to obtain them. These stamps are meant for people who are affected by poverty; this implies that the wages they get cannot sustain them or the people who are dependent on them ("Welcome to Benefits.gov | Benefits.gov", 2019). For one to obtain a food stamp, they have must be earning a certain amount of money or working for specific hours within the weeks. However, fraudsters lie about their weekly and monthly wage; they claim to make less then what is stipulated in the requirements of acquiring the food stamps. Fraudulent behaviors affect people who genuinely require food stamps; they will be locked or would not be able to get adequate nutritional meals (McCausland, 2019). The number of people receiving food stamps has increased since 2016; this increase is attributed to fraud, for a large group of people who are not supposed to receive the stamps but are obtaining them through illegal means. Also, there have been instances where people sell the stamps to buy expensive clothes and weapons. These fraudsters have no shame for they stand alongside people who wear torn clothes to receive supplies that they do not qualify for; if one can afford to buy an expensive cloth or iPhone, it means they are also capable of buying their food. The government should subject people who require food stamps to excessive scrutiny to ascertain whether the details they have given about their financial status or the nature of their jobs. Following and investigating these people will minimize wastage, thus saving taxpayers money.
Beneficiaries of food stamps are subjected to social stigma; people who genuinely need food stamps are suffering from conditions that are beyond their control (Wolfe, 2018). This claim is valid for society looks down upon poor people; they are termed as failures and lazy individuals who have failed to take care of their responsibilities. Also, children whose parents rely on food stamps get bullied in school for being poor. The children also ashamed to discuss with their peers about the nature of their lifestyle. These factors affect an individual negatively for they fall into depression, and children may drop out of school to avoid being shamed. Labeling people who receive food stamps as lazy is improper for these people have fallen victims of unpredictable life patterns. At one point in their lives, they were on a pedestal, but their current situation forced to fall; they might have lost their jobs or are handling meagerly paid jobs. Also, they could be suffering from terminal illnesses that hinder them from performing their activities effectively. Food stamps are beneficial; therefore, society should be taught to debunk myths and misconceptions they hold against the beneficiaries of food stamps.
In summary, food stamps are essential to society; therefore, the government should not put restrictions on them. The food stamps programs have allowed individuals from low-income households to get proper meals, thus eradicating hunger. The restrictions implemented on these programs are strict, thus preventing many people from accessing it. Food stamps allow people to get a meal that has proper nutrients, thus preventing cases of obesity and malnutrition. The society holds outdated myths about the beneficiaries of food stamps; they label them lazy, therefore indirectly urging the government to introduce stricter rules on the stamps. People from poor households are stigmatized for receiving stamps; the government and food programs need to educate society to do away with misconceptions they have created. Also, the stamps have been exposed to fraudsters, they people giving out false information to increase their chances of getting food stamps. Others sell food stamps to buy unnecessary items such as guns and expensive clothes. Rich people are abusing the food stamps by denying poor people to get, for they queue alongside them, holding their iPhones and branded clothes to receive food.
References
Bush, B., & Welsh, H. (2014). Hidden hunger: America’s growing malnutrition epidemic . the Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/10/nutrition-hunger-food-children-vitamins-us.
McCausland, P. (2019). Nearly 700,000 will lose food stamps with USDA work requirement change . Nbcnews.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1095726.
Policy Basics: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) . Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2019). Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.
Robertson, C. (2020). What Happened When a State Made Food Stamps Harder to Get . Nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/us/food-stamps-work-west-virginia.html.
Welcome to Benefits.gov | Benefits.gov . Benefits.gov. (2019). Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://www.benefits.gov/news/article/45.
Wolfe, M. (2018). Disadvantages of Food Stamps . Pocketsense. Retrieved 18 February 2020, from https://pocketsense.com/disadvantages-food-stamps-7354826.html.
