The U.S. government’s food stamp program grew massively – a $53.5 billion increase – in just two years, with more and more Americans putting more and more of their livelihoods into the hands of government institutions.
In 2019, the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s spending amounted to $60.3 billion. Just two years later and well into the Covid-19 emergency in 2021, spending rose to $113.8 billion, The Center Square reports.
In comparison, during the Great Recession of 2009, the entire SNAP program costed about $53 billion. That's an 89% increase in government financial assistance in two years all as a result of government mandates.
Not only did participation in the program spike from 35.7 million people to 41.6 million people, so did the average monthly benefits per person. The average monthly spending allowance went from $129.83 to $217.88 per person, a 68% uptick.
The program's overall spending had been steadily decreasing since 2013, when it peaked at $79.8 billion, meaning the nationwide pandemic response triggered the recent spike.
"While participation is expected to increase, the overall cost of the program is expected to decrease," wrote USDA officials in the agency's 2023 budget.
The government shut down the nation for months and then conveniently, was also there to step into Americans' lives and save the day for (or take advantage of) lower income families.
All in all, a win for Big Government's growth and a loss for Americans' independence.
While hard times do sometimes require assistance, which may include the food stamp program, government thrives off of intertwining itself into individuals' daily lives permanently so people continue to seek those helping to put food on the table.
That's not a feasible long-term solution, but rather the start of socialism.
Instead, independence starts with telling the government "no." Telling the politicians that we can take care our ourselves – they can't even take care of themselves, let alone 350 million Americans.
It all starts with compliance – in situations such as the pandemic – leading to reliance upon politicians instead of self-governance.
Convention of States is bringing a solution to the table, all within the Constitution. Article V says the states can be a check on abusive government.
Convention of States is utilizing this mechanism to get our nation back on track. What do we need most? Term limits, budget requirements and limits to the federal government's power.
That's what we're working towards, and we need your support to get there. Sign the COS petition below and consider becoming involved with your local COS community.
