Newt, Saying It Doesn't Make It True

From Tara:

I represent indigent clients in civil legal cases.  To qualify for services through my office, a client's household has to be at or below 125% of the federal poverty level.  If you're curious, the 2011 guidelines are here.  For a household of four to qualify for representation in my office, their gross income has to be less than about $29,000.  Nearly every client I represent is receiving food assistance benefits.


I bring this up because Newt Gingrich is taking aim at people like my clients who receive food assistance.  He has claimed that "millionaires" get food assistance.  He has claimed that food assistance is cash that people can use to go on trips to Hawaii.  He suggests that people are choosing to receive food stamps instead of paychecks.  


However, as Peter Dreier points out, "Among the food stamp recipients 33% (13.4 million) are white, 22% (8.9 million) are black, 16.7% (6.6 million) are Hispanic, and 2.8% (1.1 million) are Asian.
Almost half (47%) of all Americans who receive food stamps are children. Another 8% are elderly. About 20% are disabled. These are not people who have a choice between paychecks and food stamps."The truth is that food assistance is a narrowly-drawn, targeted program.  It's not a lot of money (here's a calculator), and it's not available for things other than approved food items.  A family of four earning $2,000 (gross) monthly, with a monthly rent payment of $600, would get $234.00 per month.  That same family with a monthly rent payment of $1,000 and childcare costs of $400 would get $492.00 per month.  Take out the childcare costs and the food assistance benefit is $317.00 per month.


Fraudulent use of food assistance cards (most often by getting cash back from unscrupulous stores or by buying items and then reselling them for lower prices--likely the source of the persistent "people buying lobsters with food stamps" story) is at an all-time low, and the Obama administration is cracking down on abuses with new enforcement and monitoring programs.


Here are descriptions of the food assistance programs in Iowa.  And here's what recipients can and cannot buy:

• Recipients with food stamp benefits can use their EBT Card for eligible food purchases at most grocery stores and some other retailers. Food stamps can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. Food stamps cannot be used to buy: