(ConservativeJournal.org) – In conservative circles, many are of the opinion that our nation’s welfare system is rife with fraud, abuse and at a bare minimum, unnecessary excess. While federal and state governments have deemed it illegal to use SNAP benefits to purchase items like cigarettes and alcohol, it’s an open secret in our society that those rules can be bent by private proprietors who are not ethically inclined in their salesmanship.
Even in the event that welfare laws are followed all of time throughout the entirety of the country, one can still legally use their government benefits to buy everything from lobster to energy drinks to fast food value meals. The most popular video sharing platform on the internet is full of examples of consumers gleefully showing their grocery store receipts with luxury purchases.
Because they are generally food-related, SNAP benefits are directly tied to the country’s well-known Farm Bill, which regulates much of America’s agriculture industry. The legislation expired at the end of September and is up for renewal. According to reports, a fight over its extension or modification is brewing in the U.S. House.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is reportedly among a host of legislators in the GOP who are hoping to curtail what they apparently feel are the excesses of the welfare program. Mainstream outlets are referring to the potentiality as an attack on “anti-hunger” programs.
Whether that is or isn’t an accurate portrayal, 80% of the bill’s value is slated for SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Over the next decade, it is estimated to cost taxpayers in excess of $1.5 trillion. Approximately 41 million of the nation’s 332 million officially-acknowledged residents are on the program’s roster.
In comments he made in 2018, Speaker Johnson called the SNAP system “broken and bloated.” A study released in 2022 found that around 50% of non-citizen households were enrolled in one or more welfare programs.
Copyright 2023, ConservativeJournal.org
