Next week, House Republicans are expected to vote on a bill sponsored by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) that would cut the nation's food stamp program by $40 billion over the next 10 years--a move that would kick four to six million Americans off of food stamps. These cuts are coming at a time when nearly 15% of U.S. households--or 49 million Americans--are living in "food insecure" households.
About 48 million Americans are currently on food stamps, but these households are still struggling to put food on their tables. According to USDA estimates, about half of households that received food stamps suffered from some amount of food security, largely because the subsidy is so small. The average food stamp benefit per person, per month is $133, which translates to $1.50 per day, per meal.
On Thursday, Feeding America's Maura Daly joined NOW with Alex Wagner to discuss hunger in America and the pending food stamp legislation in the House.