Negotiations over farm bill programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), sometimes called food stamps, are especially important for Arkansas, the state with the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation.
SNAP
Posted inArkansas Blog
Rare bipartisan bill that would help the working poor, amended to be almost meaningless after diss from governor
Arkansas is one of only nine states with restrictive asset limits for SNAP recipients. An attempt to allow poor families to put back a minimal amount of savings and still get assistance buying food is a no-go with Gov. Sarah Sanders, who says such a change will create dependency and burden hardworking taxpayers.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Sanders announces pilot program to allow DHS employees to bring their kids to work
The program — called Families at Work — will allow some DHS employees to bring their children to work. Eventually, the program could be implemented at all state agencies, Gov. Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Report: Pandemic increasing hunger among poor Arkansans, state policies part of problem
The state’s limits on food aid to the poor has increased hunger in the state during the pandemic, a new report says.
Posted inArkansas Blog
State officials expect surge in safety net programs during COVID-19 crisis
The Arkansas Department of Human Services is bracing for the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, as state officials anticipate that a rapidly increasing number of Arkansans will rely on the state’s social safety net programs in the coming months.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Reports question Arkansas work requirements for health, food benefits
The Urban Institute issued reports today questioning the implementation and worth of Arkansas’s work requirement for recipients of expanded Medicaid coverage and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamp) benefits.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Suffer the poor, the legislature is in session
Still more from the annals of Arkansas legislative efforts to grind the poor by Rep. Mary Bentley of Perry County.
Posted inArkansas Blog
There he goes again: Tom Cotton dishonest about food stamps
The U.S. Senate approved a farm bill yesterday that didn’t go far enough in punishing poor people for the likes of Sen. Tom Cotton, one of 12 Republicans who voted no. Then he chose to, well, lie about it in defending his vote against the interest of farmers, the largest sector of the Arkansas economy.
Posted inArkansas Blog
More suffering for children, from the U.S. Congress
Tomorrow, the U.S. House will vote on a Farm Bill that, like Arkansas Works, stiffens work requirements for recipients.
Posted inArkansas Blog
Republicans aim to impose new restrictions on food stamps
A gaggle of right-wing Republicans has filed a bill imposing limits on what products food stamps can be used for.