Budget cuts may hit needy Americans

Advocates for the poor and often hungry in the US say that problems for the nation's needy could intensify if the agriculture department bows to pressure from congress to reduce food-assistance schemes.

Politicians are looking at ways to stimulate the economy and balance the federal budget with a proposed $4.2bn cut in its food-stamps programme that currently assists 45 million people.

According to a recent US government report, some 15 per cent of Americans are relying on food stamps. That is a 50 per cent jump from last year at a cost of $65bn per year.

Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey reports from New York.

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• Kristen Saloomey
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• Congress

[ASLforever100]

Stop wars and bail out for banks.

[call2allah]

310 million: Americas Population

45 million ppl on food stamps

sounds like a third world country to me

[DailyStaley]

@call2allah Lol yeah the country with the highest GDP per-capita is third world. You got us man!

[MrJordabro]

@ladylordess i don't know man, it was easier just to flick shit on a credit card...then complain that i can't afford the repayments and blame it on the system like everyone else, and then go protest because that shit was re-poed, the shit i didn't actually own haha kidding on man life is a hell of alot simpliar when you got very little tied to it.

[MrJordabro]

@rrr536 people want whatever sells man, and when they can't get that they get pissed off. You think the protest are about the cuts, haha, if it were then everyone of those people would put a coin in a cup...but i bet you they don't. So what does that tell ya, they're protesting for their own ego.

[MrJordabro]

@Cjaz84 350 a month, damn thats good, thats way more than what i spend and i have a full time job. But your right, you can cook some good meals on next to nothing that is just as healthy. See it's good when you get to the stage of having next to nothing, believe me i know and i was stuck in a country where i didn't qualify for any benefit after being made redundant, but it's amazing what little you can live on when you have to. Unfortunately people get stuck in the "poor me" scenario

[MrJordabro]

nice hoodie

[RayAir1]

They cut benefits programs on Americans but they borrow more money they dont have to give to Israel ($12,000,000,000/yr in U.S taxpayer money goes to Israel!)

[ASLforever100]

What happen about Obama?  Did Obama care about poor people?

[theonestar1000]

God stop bitching, be thankful you don't live in a legitimate third world country.