Global

More and more Americans are running out of food

ileod 2 months ago 3 min read

More and more Americans say they can’t afford enough food to feed themselves or their children. As some of the government’s welfare policies expire, more and more Americans will fall into this predicament. ” Today (16th), the Wall Street Journal revealed a real phenomenon hidden behind trump, pompeio and others “throwing the pot”. According to the Wall Street Journal on August 16, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of the end of last month, about 12.1% of adults in the United States had experienced insufficient food in their homes in the past week, up from 9.8% in early May. Nearly 20% of those with children said they could not afford their children’s food, up from nearly 17% in early June. according to the U.S. Department of agriculture, between March and April, the number of people receiving benefits through the supplementary nutritional assistance program, or food voucher, rose by nearly 16%. The growth rate is much higher than in the last recession, with the biggest monthly increase of 7.3% in September 2008. In response, Diane Whitmore schanzenbach, an economist at Northwestern University, said, “I clearly see a big problem, and it seems to be more serious than at the height of the great depression.” at the same time, the situation is expected to continue to deteriorate as the unemployed cannot receive another $600 a week federal benefit. Earlier, the proposal to continue the policy, but the Republican party wanted to reduce spending, the two parties on the extension of the relief negotiations eventually broke down. There are 200 food banks under Feeding America in Chicago. Katie Fitzgerald, the group’s chief operating officer, estimates that more people will come to the food bank or apply for government food relief. Previously, the extra $600 in unemployment benefits had pushed many families beyond the food stamp threshold. she points out that since March, famine America has distributed 1.9 billion meals, about 50% more than usual. They expect food demand to exceed 14 billion by June next year, more than double the amount it can provide. Fitzgerald very much hopes that the federal government will support their work. and Virginia’s Social Services Department estimates that as the additional unemployment benefits expire, about 33000 families will be eligible for food stamps. In June, 384686 families in Virginia received food vouchers, up from 333669 in February. first of all, the unemployed need to wait for some time before they can start receiving unemployment benefits. How to get enough food in the process is a challenge for them. secondly, some schools and nurseries that provide free meals have been closed. Even for working parents, paying for the meal can be expensive. Lauren Bauer, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, points out that in the week of July 21, nearly 12% of those with children who maintain income said they couldn’t buy enough food for their children. for example, Congress has temporarily simplified the application process for food stamps and approved the maximum benefits for all those who pass the examination, whether they meet the corresponding standards or not. A Brookings Institution study found that 2.7-3.9 million children were saved from starvation by a program that offered compensation to children who missed school specials or free lunches because of the suspension of classes. However, the project has expired in the summer. irehart has two children, but she lost her job in the restaurant and has been receiving donated food since April. Her husband works in a shop and has shorter working hours.