The USA Today reported that 47 million Americans would be affected by the food stamp cut that would begin today. The report added that vulnerable populations like the elderly and those with disabilities would feel the brunt of the reduction. An estimated 2.3 million children living in California and Texas would be affected. Over a million elderly individuals or those living with disabilities would be hid by the benefits reduction. A family of four members receiving USD 668 per month in food stamps would have to make do with USD 36 less, the report said.
The Department of Agriculture administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP under the authority of the five-year farm bill. The Associated Press reported that if members of both the House and Senate could not agree on the USD 500 billion farm bill, one possible consequence would be increased milk prices. If no agreement would be reached, support for dairy would expire by year's end. This would quadruple the price the government would pay to buy dairy products, prompting milk manufacturers to sell to the government. Because they would not sell to commercial markets, the milk supply would get reduced and grocery prices of the commodity would be increased, the report said.
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