You couldn’t find it mentioned anywhere else. It would be easy to believe that it was blogs that exposed the plan to pay for teacher jobs by cutting $12 billion to the food stamp program that made a difference.
The Hill is reporting this morning:
Liberal Democrats said they will vote for a $26.1 billion state aid bill when the House reconvenes this week but are committed to restoring the food-stamps program funding that is being used to pay for it.
The jobs measure, which passed the Senate on Thursday, includes $10 billion for states and local governments to help them stave off teacher cutbacks, and another $16.1 billion to help states with their Medicaid obligations.
Nearly half of the state aid bill’s cost is being offset by taking $12 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the official name for the food-stamps program. The bill finds those savings by ending in 2014 a stimulus program that has increased food-stamp levels.
Whether a commitment to restore the food stamps can be translated in the next 24 hours into actually restoring the money remains to be seen.
UPDATE: Jobs bill passes House. Food Stamp program slashed.
Fred Klonsky 