Lawmakers Find $21 a Week Doesn't Buy a Lot of Groceries
 

By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; A13

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) stood before the refrigerated section of the Safeway on Capitol Hill yesterday and looked longingly at the eggs.

At $1.29 for a half-dozen, he couldn't afford them.

Ryan and three other members of Congress have pledged to live for one week on $21 worth of food, the amount the average food stamp recipient receives in federal assistance. That's $3 a day or $1 a meal. They started yesterday.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), co-chairmen of the House Hunger Caucus, called on lawmakers to take the "Food Stamp Challenge" to raise awareness of hunger and what they say are inadequate benefits for food stamp recipients. Only two others, Ryan and Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), took them up on it.

"All of us in Congress live pretty good lives," said McGovern, who ate a single banana for breakfast yesterday and was going through caffeine withdrawal by midday. "We don't have to wake up worrying about the next meal. But there are a lot of Americans who do. I think it's wrong. I think it's immoral that in the U.S., the richest country in the world, people are hungry."

McGovern and Emerson have introduced legislation that would add $4 billion to the annual federal food stamp budget, which was $33 billion last year and covered 26 million Americans. The proposal could be incorporated by Congress into the new farm bill.

"We're trying to get this debate going," McGovern said. "There are more working people today getting food stamps than six years ago. . . . There's not a member of Congress that doesn't have hunger in their district."

According to the rules of the challenge, the four House members cannot eat anything beside their $21 worth of groceries. That means no food at the many receptions, dinners and fundraisers that fill a lawmaker's week.

At yesterday's weekly lunch meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, McGovern was mesmerized by an attractive roast beef sandwich with cheese. He noted the potato chips came in two flavors: sour cream and plain. But his own lunch consisted of some lentils he cooked for himself and brought to work in a plastic container.

This morning McGovern is hosting a fundraising breakfast for his reelection at Bistro Bis, the restaurant in the Hotel George. The catering charge is $20 per person for the breakfast -- nearly McGovern's entire food budget for this week -- but he won't be eating any of it.

And tonight he is to attend a fundraising dinner for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) thrown at the Georgetown mansion of oil heir Smith Bagley. "I guess I'll just drink tap water," McGovern said.

McGovern and his wife, Lisa, did their food shopping for the week with help from Toinette Wilson, a D.C. resident and mother of three who relies on food stamps. Wilson gave him some tips, but it was still a struggle, he said.

"No organic foods, no fresh vegetables, we were looking for the cheapest of everything," McGovern said. "We got spaghetti and hamburger meat that was high in fat -- the fattiest meat on the shelf. I have high cholesterol and always try to get the leanest, but it's expensive. It's almost impossible to make healthy choices on a food stamp diet."

The McGoverns have exempted their two children, ages 5 and 9, from the challenge. "I'm lucky when they eat anything," McGovern said.

At the Safeway, Ryan seemed to grow depressed as he realized the limits of his budget. "It's unbelievable," he said, filling his small grocery basket with peanut butter, jelly and bread. He bought a big bag of cornmeal that he says he'll try to fashion into grits for breakfast and polenta for dinner. And he grabbed some canned tomato sauce and pasta on sale. No money for meat, milk, juice, fresh fruit or vegetables, save for a single head of 32-cent garlic to flavor the tomato sauce.

"I don't know if this is going to make it," said the third-term Democrat, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. "By the end of the week, I'm going to be eating cornmeal and strawberry preserves."

Both lawmakers will keep blogs about the experience, McGovern at http://foodstampchallenge.typepad.com and Ryan at http://timryan.house.gov.

I started reading, but will admit that I gave up when they started on the guilt trip about us being the richest country, etc. etc.

If you don't want to live on food stamps, get a job. If someone can survive on the current food stamp budget, power to 'em. The government should only provide the very basic minimum needs. If food stamp recipients want to be able to afford some cheese for those chips, they can enter the work force.

kevin, kevin, kevin...

not everyone on food stamps has no job/has 18 kids/lives in the ghetto/is mooching off the system.

a lot of elderly people get food stamps. should they be allotted only a "minimum"? i worked as a teller for 2 years, and there were elderly getting social security checks for 500 bucks a month...you tell me where in the US you can live off of that! people who are laid off of very well paying jobs find themselves on them for a while. hell, i got laid off from Capital One (one of about 250 employees), had zero income, 800 dollar rent, and a car note, a child, and my unemployment was under a thousand a month. and guess what? i didnt qualify. not everyone can just up and find a job that pays more, or sometimes find a job at all. had i recieved them, (and only because of my child did i even go there...) i would have used them until a new job came along. i would have used them for what they were meant to do!

its not the people, its the system. it needs to be monitored more. i'm sorry, but there needs to be a system that handles things, like having a time limit for being on it, and maybe other programs that give out the actual food, not just the means to go get whatever you want...the ones who need it cant get it, the ones who dont need it, have it.

You started reading but FINISH reading...and it's not as easy as saying 'get a job' what about those who are TRYING to get jobs but for many reasons are turned away...what about those who are disabled? Can we just tell them 'get a job' ?

Now mind you I understand the frustration when we see able bodied folks out there how are taking advantage of the system BUT point is, we dont know what thier story is.

I sure would like to see u tell Katrina victims to just 'go get a job'...heck almost 2 years later sopme are still waiting for assistance that has yet to come.

Problem is, almost a century ago, the food stamp situation was supposed to be a temporary thing for folks coming back from wars and those whose businesses went under etc...BUT...it got institutionalized and more and more people that got on it...couldn't get off of it.... and yeah...the govt is taking step to try and curb the amount of people that get and stay on it but fact is, unless you are in that person's position....telling them to get a job is not as easy as it sounds.

Did you notice the part of the article that said There are more working people today getting food stamps than six years ago? What do you suggest those people do?

amen to that daemon!

now, dont get me wrong. i know girls who are in their 20's with 4 and 5 kids and are getting more $$ in food stamps than you would believe. and they have no intentions of ever coming off.

i also know 2 married women with 4 and 5 kids, whos HUSBANDS have skipped out on them, and cant seem to be tracked down to pay child support. im sorry, raising a truckload of kids as a single parent, even with a very good paying job, is difficult. these 2 women are embarassed to no end when they have to use their food stamps. the first one? she will brag about it until your ears fall off. that is where it needs to be monitored better! everyone needs help at times. dont take advantage of it.

not to even mention my cousin sells her food stamps for cash for crack. and the government continues to load her card up every month...kids sitting in the house with no food. hows that for goverment regulated??

"get better jobs..."

**wink wink , nod nod**

Now...something else I heard this morning too...

A study shows that for those of us that are working full time job with benefits here in the US, do not get as much paid time off as other countries in the world.

The avg. time off for the American worker is 15.9 days annually...unguaranteed...

Whereas Finland has the highest, at least 39 days annually....guaranteed.

and the social services system are still bogged down with cases they can only hope to crack and they pay them peanuts...pretty soon...THEY will be on foodstamps too

Now...u kwow what I found fuuny...watching the clips of these congresspeople trying to eat the meal they got on foodstamps....

They had the nerve to be trying to eat healthy....a salad, some beans and a fatty burger.....

I wanna see a foodstamp family try to eat a salad for 30 days....LOL

21 buxs for most is called a case of ramen noodles, a bag of hotdogs, and some juice to wahs it down

uuuuggghhh.....this is brining back nightmares of undergrad food.

i'll do you one better daemon.

i am expecting and i get a newsletter every few days about different pregnancy topics.

maternity leave in most every other country is a guaranteed full pay event. i believe australia offers 6 MONTHS of paid maternity leave.

i have a degree, i work 40 hours a week, i never call in, i work overtime, and i do not have maternity leave. i have short term disability that covers 6 weeks at 60% pay. i am having to skip all my vacation time (im due in November) and sick time and hope it covers that whole 6 weeks...

Just don't get pregnant for another 4 or 5 years mmkay? *wink*....LOL

i know right? i may have to dip into that 401k for a while...our government is so screwed up...i would do better (money-wise) quitting my job and getting on welfare! it is not supposed to be that way!!

one of my childhood friends has 3 girls. her girl's father is serving a nice chunk of time at our local prison. she nets over 2k a month in daycare help, food stamps, section 8, medicaid, and just a good ol fashioned welfare CHECK... i know for a fact that if she were paying out of pocket for what she is getting, she would have to work 3 jobs.

...and i think this may be the last baby for me! cant afford anymore!

It does happen though.

I'm assuming that they're going to use that food stamp money in conjunction with their social security benefits. So yeah, the minimum works for me. For anything above poverty, it's their responsibility to save for retirement, not mine to pay for it.

Again, not my problem. Also, clearly, the elderly you were dealing with were living somewhere and not starving to death.

You'd have probably qualified for TANF. I looked over the requirements, they must have determined that you had sufficient resources to not require food stamps. From the literature I found, $2,000 in "household resources" or above cuts you out of TANF/food stamps.

Food stamps were meant to keep people from starving. Apparently, you nor your child starved.

Well, those sorts of things sort of exist. There are tricks, however, to reset the clock. TANF, I believe has a three year limit if you have less than a HS education and less than 6 months of work experience, only one of course if you're college educated. A lot of people fill out applications and occasionally take jobs at places only to quit and have their clocks reset.

Welfare should be a hand up, not a way of life as it has become for so many.

And Keving you know as well as I do a college education doesn't guarantee you a job to put you in a lifestyle where you wouldn't have to worry.

And with the amount of kids graduating now already in debt with staggering student loans, 1/2 of thier paycheck from the first post grad job, may very well have them running out to go get them stamps and stay on that ramen noodle diet for a little longer.

oh yeah, ive seen that happen! i was rather shocked when i saw it and figured out what was going on...shouldnt that equate to some sort of fraud??

and as far as the elderly, not everyone had the type of job that offers a decent retirement. i am black and live in the south. not that it matters much, but where i live it makes a difference. my grandmother was a cook in a kitchen for 40 years. she had 8 children. in the small town she lives in, there were no decent jobs for blacks in the 30's and 40's. you cant very well move with 8 children either. especially since all 3 of their fathers were deceased (dont ask, cause i dont know!!) there was no 401k, stock options, etc.

i think the elderly in the next decade coming up will do better and better. but there is still a group who will never be able to make it, no matter what kind of preparation was done.

I don't know...not with the govt always threatening to close out Social Security benefits and trying to raise the retirement age...

Interesting article, but please note this post from the administrator of this site, contained in the Welcome to the News and Politics forum thread, which says:

thanks !!



here is the link !

http://www.newsobserver.com/nation_w...ry/574927.html

Nope. But neither should your fellow citizens.

I'm not a response is possible. Are you trying to make a point here? Life is hard? Something like that?

Point: "Go get a job" is not as easy as you make it sounds to get folks off of food stamps.

well at least i'm not alone in the belief that having a job doesn't necessarily prevent you from NEEDING food stamps.

y'all would be DISGUSTED by the number of soldiers and their families that also collect food stamps in order to survive.

- m

you know what squirrlygirl, THAT in itself is a damn shame...a soldier needing welfare. is there anything more wrong about that?? i wont even start about the way they are being treated coming home from iraq, different topic for a different thread lol, but yes, when soldiers need that assistance there is something seriously wrong across the board...

I got a little not so well kept secret LOL...the gov't and medical community is making so much money off of these soldiers it's a crying shame, we all know...no wonder a lot of them aren't so keen on bringing these guys home.What's so bad is how much these folks are making..I work with a review board in MD and part of what we do, is review proposals from ALL facets of the medical community and give approvals over whether or not these docs will get at the least 150k annually to play with for the next 3 to 5 years with vets coming home from the wars and getting them signed up for all these experiments. (that's the most i can tell ya....LOL) but what's interesting is when u look at how much of that money goes into THIER pockets first. *wink*

Sometimes people just need to step outside of their comfort zone, or stop to realize that THEIR reality is not everyone else's reality. I applaud these congressmen for even bringing attention to this issue by making it personal.

daemon, do not sicken me anymore than i already am lol! my sister is one of those headstrong girls who wants to get the hell out of mom and dads house. so on a whim she up and joined the navy.

besides the fact that the recruiter lied to her, now is not the time to join Bush's military. you think $21 a day for food is bad? its nothing compared to coming home at 20 years old with no legs and one "good" arm. and for what?

oil and WMDs of course....


I lost one bruh last year

and one of my frat (one of my founders as a matter of fact) did 3 years and lost a lot of his squadmates.

I think he said he can be discharged at the end of the year...he's done almost 15 years I think

blutang i agree with you. someone had to do it. and i dont feel it would be addressed correctly over a $150 a plate gourmet meal at a 5 star hotel...the people that make/adjust the rules cant justify a decision either way unless they know first hand.

I would first want to ask what a "working person" is. Democrats often refer to "working people" as anyone who is not rich.

So do I doubt that more people get food stamps now than 6 years ago? Nope. We have a larger population now than 6 years ago.

6 years is a pretty arbitrary figure unless you're trying to somehow show that Bush is the cause for people signing up for welfare benefits (otherwise, I couldn't imagine why 6 years would be relevant unless 7 years ago, there were more people using food stamps than there are today).

Get a job, get an education, get a different job.

If folks are able to come across our borders, find work and make decent livings, why can't Americans work as well? The fact that we say that there is "Work Americans won't do" and that there are out of work Americans is insulting to the taxpayers which fund the laziness of those workers who refuse to do that work that "Americans won't do."

If they can subsist on this minimal $21/week, that's good enough for me. In nearly every case I've seen here, soldiers, etc., the $21/week is supplemental to their other income, so saying they're eating on $21/week is misleading at best.

Ok...let's not make it into a name calling thing...Bush is not a point in this...fact of the matter is, food stamps and the issues arising from it has been a thorn in the side of many a president since it's inception in the late 1930's

Reagan tried to make cutbacks in the 80s and Clinton instituted welfare to work programs in the 90s.

But now, for the few changes and buget increases that they have made, someone is starting to wakeup to the fact that the money the put into this program doesn't help the poor eat an adequate amount and variety of food.

Let's face it, the policy has failed because where it was supposed to work for the better good in emergency situations, it caused more dependency than anything, and yanking the rug from under it would be seen and a drastic and inhuman way to deal with the situation....


damned if you do...damned if you dont.

and AVERAGE of 21 dollars a week...either way, these people don't have the means to exist.

And please be mindful a lot of these immigrants (a whole other topic too BTW) work under the table and for what they are getting would make some of them 'kings' as opposed to staying home, but weigh in the other factors...

altho they EARN a decent wage, they have no access to insurance and proper health facilities, they can't LEGALLY open a bank account to save their money and MOST of what they earn goes back home in some cases to help another family member get here legally or even to skimp up enough to get themselves legalized.

I am glad to see the cynicism in the fact that you believe that getting an education will get you a job that will keep you from getting food stamps.


Question, what would you do if you lost your job and home tomorrow and then wound up in a debiliating accident on Monday.....?

Who is name calling? I was simply searching for a definition for the term "working people" -- a definition Democrats often attribute to people who actually don't work. I would still love someone to tell me what "working people" are for the purposes of GP's statement.

They didn't go anywhere near far enough.

Show me some starving poor folks.. like the kind you see in 3rd world countries. Then you can make this claim. The fact is that in America, our "poor" have an astounding rate of obesity. Here are some other fun facts about American "poor" courtesy of the Heritage Foundation (their facts were obtained from the Census Bureau):


I agree. I don't claim to be an expert in solving this problem. I'd like to see a lifetime cap instituted on the amount of benefits anyone may receive over their lifetime. I'm not sure of the feasibility of programs like the old T.V.A. or W.P.A. of the great depression, but I'd sure like to see someone look into 'em.

All you ever hear are stopgaps being discussed -- never solutions. Never ultimatums for people who simply choose to be poor. If they can make it on $21/week. Fine. If they could make it on less, I say we cut 'em back.

Wrong attitude :)

Which is wrong. These people do exist. They do it on $21/week as a supplement to their other income. Show me ONE person who has starved to death due to welfare not providing enough, then you have a case.

So? They work. That's my point. That means that there's a demand for labor that lazy Americans are not meeting. The fact that Mexican can find work and that there are able bodied Americans who do not do that work already shows to me that these Americans are lazy.

Actually many banks invite their business. I believe Bank of America has accounts specifically set up for illegals. They make use of our emergency rooms just like all the other uninsured people. I think you exaggerate a wee bit. The point remains that these people work by doing jobs that Americans are too lazy to do.

It will. Do some educated people use food stamps from time to time as a security blanket? Sure. Do they land on their feet aftwerwards? Yep. That is what these programs were designed for -- as a safety net, not a way of life.

I'm currently a law student. I'm part time right now and work in the day. I'd probably move to a cheaper apartment (maybe on campus), I'd go full time, start drafting some major student loans. The debilitating accident wouldn't be a big deal. I might miss summer school, but in the end, I'd have better parking anyhow :)

The type of work I'll be doing won't really be physically demanding. If, however, the injuries left me unable to work, I'd qualify for social security and disability benefits, so naturally, I'd apply.

Kevin, you're showing your ass.

FYI.

clarity on a few points:

Name calling: not the working people...I meant to refer to blaming it on Bush...my bad....I was saying that as a reference that he is not the one who has the problem....he inherited it....hehe.


Show you some starving poor: I tell you what...come to Baltimore...drive 2 miles east or west of the Inner Harbor...Get out of your car....take a walk....note the quality and types of stores in the area as opposed to where you live. Note the subpar quality of eating establishments...note the number of abandoned houses and the possibilty that someone is living in one now...do this for a few hrs and then go home....get on your knees and thank whoever it is you pray to that you don't live like that...

Kevin I was raised in that area and can tell you 20 years it was NOT like that...I moved away 10 years ago and when I came back....this was what I saw...it's a drastic 180 away from the growth that was going on in the 80s and 90s....gentrification my friend.

...and if 46% own then the other portion rent and another portion of THAT are homeless....pie charts mean nothing when you are standing on a corner wishing you had even pie crumbs.


You wanna see starving people....come on down to downtown Washington DC....17th and I streets...RIGHT BEHIND Gee Dub's house...let's you and I take a walk thru the park where I go to lunch sometimes and I will let you stand and count how many homeless and starving people are crowding the benches....heck...I don't have pocket change anymore cuz I am giving it to an old dude in hopes that he gets some food....

After work...let's take a walk from here to Chinatown and let's count again how many homeless poor are sitting out here trying to get a meal not 5 blocks away from the tourists visiting the mall....

All this first and and trust me afterwards you will wake up thankful ddaily that you have what you have.

Most of these people who have a roof over thier heads are the same ones that have no power in ther homes and either die or burnt out because since they cant afford the rising price of energy had to resort to other means to keeping warm.



and the damned if you do damned if you don't

it's not my attitude...that is just the way things are.....

that is just the big problem with the policy....there is no right way in solving it and removing it without upsetting a whole population of people

[QUOTE=Kevin;1450289]Which is wrong. These people do exist. They do it on $21/week as a supplement to their other income. Show me ONE person who has starved to death due to welfare not providing enough, then you have a case.


Kevin...If I knew you better, I would let you call my mom who has worked with the Dept of Social Services in MD for the past 30 years.....she would show you tons and telll you where they are buried....


I am glad to know that u think u are bullet proof enough to avoid whatever curveball life will throw at you....

the Book of Job can do wonders with people with that attitude.

so do you not have other expenses besides food? or am i the only person? (btw this isn't personal and i'm not TRYING to be rude or over critical of you kevin but as far as i can see you're the only person really arguing in the other direction)

granted there is most likely OTHER income, but i also know what its like to have more bills than money in a month. and i'm nowhere near 'poor'. labeling $21/week as misleading IMO is just another way to be able to ignore the numbers and the problem. $21/week for food IS a reality for more than a handful of people in this country. that is a problem.

i think people are also ignoring the concept of food quality. that article was pretty good about addressing the lack of whole foods, fruits and veggies, milk, organic foods, and even semi-healthy options. poor people and people recieving food stamps don't have the luxury of healthy foods. this is a HUGE problem. people wonder why kids and adults in this country are overweight and obese (and don't say 'exercise' if you can afford to be a member of a gym or can work out in a safe neighborhood - i really don't want to hear it). quality of diet is a huge factor. when people can eat off the dollar menu at mcdonalds and be full for SIGNIFICANTLY less than they could if they were paying to buy healthy foods at a grocery store, there's a problem. and this is a huge problem when this is how children are being fed.

then again i'm a fan of not judging other people and the world based on MY situation in life.

- m

HERE HERE Squirelly!

Kevin...and while u are at it....if you ever made that trek into Baltimore or DC....for each and every person you see...

For each reformed or down on thier luck junkie I want you to look them in the eye and tell them get a job

For each abused adult who can't get medical help I want you to look them in the eye and tell them get a job

For someone who is so infirm they can't get a job I want you to look them in the eye and tell them get a job


For each able bodied Katrina victim displaced this far north I want you to look them in the eye and tell them get a job

**blowing kisses at squirrly...

thank you!

milk in VA is 3.50 a gallon. on 21 bucks a week, that leaves 16.50.
eggs run you a buck, 15.50.
juice, even your cheapy store brand? 1.50 a half gallon? 1 gallon worth leaves 12.50
bread runs 1.50 or so? 11.00
a pack of bologna, another 1.50... 9.50
cheese anyone? 2 bucks, 7.50.
a few cans of vegetables at 50 cents 5.50
of course the ever popular ramen noodles (smile!) 10cents a pack, another buck for 10 packs...4.50.
and hell, lets splurge. a box of CORN FLAKES for the milk. 2.50 for those..

you have a grand total of $2.00 left. that goes towards taxes.

now does any of that seem healthy to you? the milk and eggs and veggies are ok, the cereal will cover a few meals, but i know i personally would be starving on this much food! god forbid you need some of that extra money for gas/bus fare...youre doomed!

a bag of greasy, salty, fattening potato chips :) can cost as little as 99 cents, while a bag of your brand name, baked, low sodium, trans fat free chips :(are almost $3.00!! that is why the poor can still end up obese!

Hole up, thure...u gotta say what kinda Corn Flakes you referring to!!! YA KNOW...Kellogs and the generics are 2 different flavors!!!

and what the heck are we drinking??? You cant splurge unless you get a few packs of koll aid (red) or a bottle of the 1.99 juice and then whatever change u got left...then u can splurge