Trump Adminstration's USDA wants to give out Food Packages for half of SNAP benefits without SNAP beneficiaries input. If the USDA cared? They'd give out a menu allowing people to choose what they can eat.

Trump Administration Wants To Decide What Food SNAP Recipients Will Get

The Trump administration is proposing a major shake-up in one of the country's most important "safety net" programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Under the proposal, most SNAP recipients would lose much of their ability to choose what food they'll buy with their SNAP benefits.

Me, "The Trump administration wants to stop SNAP recipients from choosing what they can eat. They want the states to give out USDA Food Packages and cut benefits in half. If the Trump administration actually cared, as they say they do, they would keep SNAP Benefits at current levels AND give out these care packages. A lot of people on SNAP do not get enough, as it is, to feed themselves, through the month. They use other forms of income, and handouts to get by. 
 If the USDA wants to give out Food Packages they should ask people what they want to eat. If it is cheaper, to get the food through the states, then give people a menu and let them order. I am not saying for every package, but let them have a general menu of what is available. People have food allergies. People have to be on special diets: Low Salt, Low Cholesterol, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Vegan etc. Are we really going to tell these people they have to eat whatever is provided? Good luck on your health?
I am all for stream lining government programs but people should have a choice as to what they can eat. What are we in the Soviet Union?

*One other thing. 
A lot of SNAP Beneficiaries live in Low Income areas. How will these people receive their USDA Food Package? If they are not home? What is to stop someone from stealing the food box?"


From article, (The Trump administration is proposing a major shake-up in one of the country's most important "safety net" programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. Under the proposal, most SNAP recipients would lose much of their ability to choose the food they buy with their SNAP benefits.
The proposal is included in the Trump administration budget request for fiscal year 2019. It would require approval from Congress.
Under the proposal, which was announced Monday, low-income Americans who receive at least $90 a month — just over 80 percent of all SNAP recipients — would get about half of their benefits in the form of a "USDA Foods package." The package was described in the budget as consisting of "shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables." The boxes would not include fresh fruits or vegetables.

Currently, SNAP beneficiaries get money loaded onto an EBT card they can use to buy what they want as long as it falls under the guidelines. The administration says the move is a "cost-effective approach" with "no loss in food benefits to participants."

The USDA believes that state governments will be able to deliver this food at much less cost than SNAP recipients currently pay for food at retail stores — thus reducing the overall cost of the SNAP program by $129 billion over the next 10 years.
This and other changes in the SNAP program, according to the Trump administration, will reduce the SNAP budget by $213 billion over those years — cutting the program by almost 30 percent.)


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Who would be hurt the Most if the U.S. were to default on its debit holdings?

The Real Owner of the U.S. Debt Will Surprise You

The U.S. debt is $20 trillion. Most headlines focus on how much the United States owes China, one of the largest foreign owners. What many people don't know is that the Social Security Trust Fund, aka your retirement money, owns most of the national debt. How does that work, and what does it mean?

 From article, (The U.S. debt is $20 trillion. Most headlines focus on how much the United States owes China, one of the largest foreign owners. What many people don’t know is that the Social Security Trust Fund, aka your retirement money, owns most of the national debt. How does that work, and what does it mean?

The Debt Is in Two Categories

The U.S. Treasury manages the U.S. debt through its Bureau of the Public Debt.

The debt falls into two broad categories: Intragovernmental Holdings and Debt Held by the Public. 

Intragovernmental Holdings. This is the portion of the federal debt owed to 230 other federal agencies. It totals $5.6 trillion, almost 30 percent of the debt. Why would the government owe money to itself? Some agencies, like the Social Security Trust Fund, take in more revenue from taxes than they need. Rather than stick this cash under a giant mattress, these agencies buy U.S. Treasurys with it.

By owning Treasurys, they transfer their excess cash to the general fund, where it is spent. Of course, one day they will redeem their Treasury notes for cash. The federal government will either need to raise taxes or issue more debt to give the agencies the money they will need. 

Which agencies own the most Treasurys? Social Security, by a long shot. Here's the detailed breakdown as of December 31, 2016.

• Social Security (Social Security Trust Fund and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund) - $2.801 trillion
• Office of Personnel Management Retirement - $888 billion
• Military Retirement Fund - $670 billion
• Medicare (Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund) - $294 billion

• All other retirement funds - $304 billion
• Cash on hand to fund federal government operations  - $580 billion. 

Debt Held by the Public. The public holds the rest of the national debt ($14.7 trillion).  Foreign governments and investors hold nearly half of it. One-fourth is held by other governmental entities. These include the Federal Reserve, as well as state and local governments. Fifteen percent is held by mutual funds, private pension funds and holders of savings bonds and Treasury notes. The remaining 10 percent is owned by businesses, like banks and insurance companies. It's also held by an assortment of trusts, companies, and investors.

Here's the breakdown of holders of the public debt as of December 2016:

• Foreign - $6.004 trillion
• Federal Reserve - $2.465 trillion
• Mutual funds - $1.671 trillion
• State and local government, including their pension funds - $905 billion
• Private pension funds - $553 billion
• Banks - $663 billion
• Insurance companies - $347 billion
• U.S. savings bonds - $166 billion
• Other (individuals, government-sponsored enterprises, brokers and dealers, bank personal trusts and estates, corporate and non-corporate businesses, and other investors) - $1.662 trillion. 

This debt is not only in Treasury bills, notes and bonds but also Treasury Inflation Protected Securities and special state and local government series securities.

As you can see, if you add up the debt held by Social Security and all the retirement and pension funds, nearly half of the U.S. Treasury debt is held in trust for your retirement. If the United States defaults on its debt, foreign investors would be angry, but current and future retirees would be hurt the most.)

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