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☆ Republican budget proposal would do away with universal free school lunches
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 2025 budget proposal backed by 170 House Republicans would nix a universal free school lunch program. Only nine states provide free school lunch to all students right now. The budget aims to reform school lunch subsidies by eliminating the "community eligibility provision" from the federal School Lunch Program. The proposed RSC Budget would eliminate that provision to ensure school lunch provisions go to only "truly needy households," the report says. States with universal free lunch include California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Main, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Vermont.

Persons: nix, —, Kevin Hern of, Hern, Crystal FitzSimons, FitzSimons Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Service, Committee, Representatives, Budget, NYC Food Policy, Hunter College ., DC, Conservative, Food Research, Action Center Locations: NYC, California , Colorado , Illinois , Michigan, Minnesota, Main , Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma

They eat a lot.”Many states have rejected federal funds on principle or for technical reasons. Twenty-two states have turned down the mostly federally funded expansion of Medicaid eligibility to provide health insurance to more lower-income adults. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesThe Summer EBT program, a response to increased child hunger when school is out, involves much less money. Bill Lee's office said the initiative is a pandemic-era benefit and that other food programs already exist. But Crystal FitzSimons, director of school programs at Food Research and Action Center, cited research that families buy more nutritional food when their grocery subsidies increase.

Persons: Otibehia Allen, ” Allen, “, aren't, Thomas Vazquez, Bill Lee's, Megan Degenfelder, ”, Defenfelder, Allen's, Tate Reeves, Reeves, you’re, Jim Pillen, Lisa Davis, Kim Reynolds, Crystal FitzSimons, It's, ___ Mattise, Sean Murphy, James Pollard, Pollard Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Texas Health, Human Services Commission, Texas, Republican Gov, Food Research, Action Center, Associated Press, “, Republican, Washington D.C, Democratic, Action, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Clarksdale , Mississippi, States, Vermont, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, Louisiana, In Mississippi, Nebraska, Alabama, Alaska , Florida, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa, Louisiana , Mississippi , Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota , Texas , Vermont, Nashville , Tennessee, Cherry Hill , New Jersey, Oklahoma City, Columbia , South Carolina

☆ Nikki Haley campaign site lacks policy platform, simple way to evaluate positions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

No surprise then, that Haley's presidential campaign website features a "Record of Results" tab with more than a dozen subtopics. The competitionTypically, a presidential campaign makes it as easy as possible for the public to learn what the candidate would do if elected. But a curious voter who visited Haley's campaign website would need to navigate through press clips and TV appearances to find one. CNBC reached out to Haley's campaign to ask why they do not have a comprehensive policy agenda on the campaign site. The link revealed something unexpected: The document did not appear under any of the sections into which Haley's campaign site was divided, like "News," or "About Nikki" or "Action Center."

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Segar, Reuters WASHINGTON, Haley, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchison, Nikki, Peter Zay Organizations: Former U.S, United, CNN, Drake University, Reuters, Republican, Trump, United Nations, Israel, Florida Gov, U.S . Marine, Former Arkansas Gov, CNBC, Republican Party, Bluffton SC, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Florida, Former, Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Carolina, www.nikkihaley.com, Bluffton, United States

☆ There's been a spike in Americans skipping meals since the end of pandemic-era benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Over half of Americans on SNAP benefits are eating less, a new report found. More Americans are skipping meals six months after the end of pandemic SNAP expansions. AdvertisementAdvertisementMany Americans are eating less and attending food pantries more frequently six months after the end of pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamp, expansions. As many as 16 million households received reductions to their SNAP benefits starting in March. Over 80% of those receiving SNAP benefits are elderly Americans, working families, or people with disabilities, the USDA said.

Persons: Biden, —, Tom Vilsack Organizations: SNAP, Service, Nutrition Assistance, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Food Research, Action Center, Social, Women, USDA Locations: —

☆ Opinion | Corruption Is an Existential Threat to Ukraine, and Ukrainians Know It
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Farah Stockman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

No one knows better what an existential threat corruption can be, sapping the public trust and the legitimacy of the state. Ukrainians consider corruption the country’s second-most-serious problem, behind only the Russian invasion, according to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology this year. That raises hopes that Ukrainians are starting to resist corruption with the same can-do spirit that repelled the Russian invasion. Ukrainian lawmakers are pushing back against the scrutiny. “Many Ukrainians are unhappy with this decision of the Parliament,” Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, told me.

Persons: Yuriy Nikolov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksii Reznikov, Bohdan Torokhtiy, Alina Levchenko, Mr, Zelensky, ” Andrii Borovyk, Vitalii Shabunin, ” Organizations: Kyiv International Institute of, European Union, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Transparency International, Ukrainian Pravda Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Europe, Instagram, Kyiv, Transparency International Ukraine

You can use an inexpensive Chromecast device to "cast" your Windows laptop to a TV. Here's how to connect your Windows or Mac laptop to a TV with a wired or wireless connection. How to connect your laptop to a TVYou can connect your laptop to a TV using a wired HDMI connection or a wireless connection. Using an HDMI cable with a Windows laptop or MacBookThe most straightforward way to connect your laptop to a TV is by using a wired HDMI connection. Using a wireless Chromecast connection with a Windows laptop or MacBookIf you don't want to deal with cables, you can connect your laptop to a TV wirelessly.

Persons: it's, William Antonelli Organizations: Apple, Google, LG, Samsung, Sony, Control

☆ SNAP could close the food insecurity gap between Black and white households, study finds. But researchers say there's so much more that could be done.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new study shows that access to SNAP benefits reduces the racial gap in food insecurity. Black and multiracial households have had higher food insecurity rates than white households over the last 20 years. While Black households had 20% higher food insecurity rates, they were 46% more likely to participate in SNAP than white households. For those not enrolled in SNAP, Black and multiracial households respectively had a 52% and 42% higher risk of food insecurity than white households. When accounting for household characteristics, Black households enrolled in SNAP had a lower rate of food insecurity than white households.

Persons: —, Laura Samuel, Samuel, that's, Gina Plata, Heather Taylor, ., Nino Organizations: SNAP, Service, Black, Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Social, Nino, Food Research, Action Center Locations: . Plata, Plata

☆ How 2 Gen X moms are grappling with food stamp cuts, surviving off $23 in monthly benefits and struggling to pay bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cuts have made it difficult for these Gen X moms to put food on the table or pay their bills. In mid-May, her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits check dropped from $516 to just $23. Starting in March, millions of Americans receiving SNAP benefits lost hundreds of dollars from their grocery budgets as the pandemic-era food stamps expansion ended. To supplement her sudden drop in benefits, she's gotten food from local food pantries, though they rarely had meats, gave out expired breads, and mostly had canned foods. Do you rely on SNAP benefits and are affected by these changes?

Persons: —, Venus Barnes, She's, she's, everybody's, Barnes, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, — Barnes, I've, I'm, Khiana Organizations: SNAP, Service, Collins Aerospace, Assistance, Social, Food Research, Action, Security, Insurance Locations: North Carolina, Maryland

☆ Nearly 750,000 adults may lose SNAP federal food assistance after debt ceiling deal, research shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this article SNAP Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTTomml | E+ | Getty ImagesDebt ceiling deal changes SNAP work requirementsSNAP already has work requirements for most adults ages 18 through 49 who do not have children. You're not going to balance the budget, much less pay down the debt, through these kinds of changes. In a Sunday interview with Fox News, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., touted the new work requirements as a win for welfare reform in the debt ceiling deal. "You're not going to balance the budget, much less pay down the debt, through these kinds of changes," Bolen said. SNAP is meant to help provide support to people who may be struggling to find work, Bolen noted.

Persons: Ed Bolen, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Bolen, Ellen Vollinger, Vollinger Organizations: SNAP, Budget, Fox News, Food Research, Action

Eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) became a lightning rod in negotiations of the debt deal. The debt plan passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday and by the Senate on Thursday contains work requirements to get food benefits. It would also expand those work requirements to adults aged 50 to 54, a group that had previously been exempted. Republicans argued during negotiations that expanding work requirements would help more SNAP recipients get jobs and reduce their dependence on federal aid. Some progressive lawmakers cited the work requirement issue as their reason for not supporting the debt deal.

Persons: Ty Jones Cox, Ellen Vollinger, Kevin McCarthy, Kofi Kenyatta, Colleen Young, Young, Leah Douglas, David Gregorio, Tom Hogue Organizations: Congress, Supplemental, Assistance, Food, Budget, Democrats, Republicans, SNAP, Veterans, Food Research, Action, Congressional, Office, Greater, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Thomson Locations: UpTogether, Greater Pittsburgh

Four food banks told Reuters that demand is up between 46 and 125% since last spring, and that visits to their pantries are as high or higher than they were at the height of the pandemic. "But for food banks, we're still deep in a crisis." Food banks also feel the pinch: two organizations told Reuters their food costs are up 25 to 30% this year compared to last spring. Democrats in Congress negotiated a compromise with Republicans to end the benefits in exchange for a new summer food program for children. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in December that it would allocate an additional $1 billion to food banks to meet rising demand.

☆ A perfect storm of food-stamp cuts and low tax refunds is looming — and discount chains like Dollar General and Big Lots could feel the pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Off-price retailers are worried that cuts to food stamps and smaller tax refunds will hurt sales. Tax refunds are also likely to be smaller because of the wind-down of some expanded tax credits. At the same time, certain beefed-up tax credits are no longer available, which means many taxpayers are preparing for smaller tax refunds this year. "At this point, 30% of that lower household income customer, their expenses today are greater than their income coming in. The 32 states that will wind down SNAP benefits this month join the 18 states that cut those benefits last year.

☆ 'Huge hunger cliff' looms, warns expert: Average recipient to get $90 less in food stamps as Covid aid ends
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch now"That's a really tight budget if you're talking about low-income families," said Ellen Vollinger, SNAP director at the Food Research and Action Center. The Food Research and Action Center has advocated for congressional legislation to address the problem. Food bank braces for increased demandLos Angeles County Regional Food Bank workers help with food distribution in Willowbrook, California, on April 29, 2021. The food bank has been increasing its food purchases in recent weeks to anticipate increased demand for food assistance, Flood said. In the aftermath of the pandemic's onset in 2020, the food bank was serving 1 million county residents, Flood said.

☆ Millions of Americans are facing a hunger cliff as food stamps are slashed: 'The poorer you are, the poorer you eat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Those emergency allotments ending will leave some with hundreds less in SNAP benefits each month. Courtesy of David WelchWelch is one of the millions of Americans suddenly contending with the end of pandemic-era expanded food stamps. The emergency allotments also helped keep many out of poverty. For some, the emergency allotments meant more than just sustenance — it also meant nutrition. The recipients Insider spoke to are just a handful among the millions of people who were still receiving the emergency allotments.

☆ U.S. food benefits for poor to shrink as pandemic provisions end
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Leah Douglas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives may also pursue further cuts to food assistance to shrink the U.S. deficit. “It’s going to put millions of households at risk of hunger,” said Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger. The changes mean cuts of about $82 a month beginning in March for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group. But in December’s spending bill fight, Congress negotiated a compromise to end them in February in exchange for a new summer food program for children. More than 76% of the current farm bill’s $428 billion price tag went to food assistance programs that serve 41 million people annually.

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives may also pursue further cuts to food assistance to shrink the U.S. deficit. "It’s going to put millions of households at risk of hunger," said Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger. The changes mean cuts of about $82 a month beginning in March for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group. But in December's spending bill fight, Congress negotiated a compromise to end them in February in exchange for a new summer food program for children. More than 76% of the current farm bill's $428 billion price tag went to food assistance programs that serve 41 million people annually.

☆ Meet a Gen Xer forced to cut $135 from her monthly grocery budget as emergency food stamps suddenly end in March: 'We don't know how we're going to make it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In March, a pandemic-era program beefing up SNAP benefits will wind down. It means a "hunger cliff" for many food stamp recipients, who are facing smaller budgets and high food prices. "I got to speak for everybody: We don't know what we're going to do. Parent and her son don't know what they're going to do when the benefits come down in just a few weeks. "We don't know how we're going to make it," she said.

☆ Millions of Americans are about to be forced to cut up to $258 a month out of their grocery budgets as emergency food stamps suddenly end in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Come March, millions of Americans will see their SNAP benefits drop drastically, some by over $200. As seen in the map, around 30 states and Washington, DC, would be affected by the abrupt cutoff of SNAP benefits. Based on figures from FRAC, 393,341 households in Alabama for instance would receive emergency allotments of SNAP in February 2023. Now, Plata-Nino said, states are scrambling to get the word out to residents that their benefits are being dramatically reduced. Are you worried about your SNAP benefits shrinking?

Feb 3 (Reuters) - School meals for millions of children in the United States would include less added sugar, more whole grains, and lower sodium content under new standards proposed by the Biden administration on Friday. The Biden administration committed to updating school meal nutrition standards as part of its strategy laid out at a conference on hunger last year. Under the proposed standards, by fall 2024, schools would need to offer whole grain products. The Obama administration hiked standards by requiring schools to serve fruits and vegetables every day and offer more whole grain foods. "These proposed evidence-based standards will make for a healthier school day," said FRAC president Luis Guardia in a statement.

☆ Ukrainians trying to clear land mines turn to Cambodia for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Fifteen Ukrainian deminers are being trained by experts in Cambodia who are among the world’s best because of experience from clearing the leftovers of nearly three decades of war. The Ukrainian deminers are being hosted by the Cambodian Mine Action Center, a government agency that oversees the clearing of land mines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. Cambodia was littered with land mines and other unexploded ordnance after almost three decades of war ending in the late 1990s. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November to send Cambodian demining experts to help train their Ukrainian counterparts. Several other countries, including the United States and Germany, have already provided Ukraine with demining assistance.

Timothy York knows what works to treat his decadeslong opioid addiction: Suboxone, a medication that effectively quiets cravings. Since York arrived in federal prison in 2008, he has been held in a series of facilities awash with contraband drugs and violence. Yet the federal prisons are treating only a fraction — less than 10% — of the roughly 15,000 prisoners who need it, according to the bureau’s estimates. Some say the issues stem from a culture at the bureau that is skeptical of addiction medication and pits staff against prisoners. He was using an underground supply of Suboxone at USP-Coleman, the federal prison in Florida where he was incarcerated, but it was erratic.

☆ Doug Emhoff says there's an 'epidemic of hate' in the US at White House antisemitism roundtable
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House hosted an antisemitism roundtable Wednesday with Jewish leaders and organizations. The roundtable discussion was hosted by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish. In April the Anti-Defamation League released an audit revealing that antisemitic incidents reached an "all-time high" in 2021, citing a 34% increase year over year. The second gentleman noted during the roundtable that antisemitism is not a partisan issue. Emhoff declared that he will not stand idly by and will work with Jewish leaders to continue combatting antisemitism in America.

He said the school’s student affairs office interviewed Jones’ roommate, who had not seen the suspect with a gun. It wasn’t clear if the school’s internal investigation of Jones possibly having a gun ended with that roommate’s interview. On Tuesday, university officials admitted they learned Jones had been convicted of a misdemeanor for a concealed weapons violation in 2021. Hingeley revealed in court Jones’ previous scrapes with the law. He attempted to purchase a Smith & Wesson M&P15-22, a .22-caliber rifle, but “failed the background check,” the owner said.

The House agriculture committee will likely be led starting in January by Glenn "GT" Thompson of Pennsylvania. The farm bill has a historical reputation of bipartisanship, so some advocates told Reuters they are warily optimistic. Passage of the 2014 farm bill was held up more than a year as conservative House Republicans tried unsuccessfully to strip the bill of nutrition programs. Every Republican member of the House agriculture committee signed a letter calling the funding “abusive and troublesome." At an August farm conference in Iowa, Thompson said if he led the agriculture committee, he would "ensure that the farm bill doesn't become a climate bill."

☆ Faith groups split over bill to protect same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Among U.S. faith leaders and denominations, there are sharp differences over the bill advancing in the Senate that would protect same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law. Meanwhile, many left-of-center faith leaders are cheering the bill, including some who planned a Thursday morning rally at the U.S. Capitol. A final Senate vote is expected soon, and the measure — if approved — would then return to the House for consideration of Senate changes. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, an American Baptist pastor who is president of Interfaith Alliance and is part of a same-sex marriage.

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