USDA Says Cutting Food Programs Could Threaten Farmers, Grocers
WASHINGTON — Broadening its attack on Republican welfare reform proposals, the Clinton Administration said Tuesday that dismantling federal nutrition programs would threaten farm incomes, grocers and the rural economy.
In an analysis of the GOP’s proposed welfare overhaul, the Agriculture Department said the legislation would slash federal spending on nutrition programs by nearly $31 billion over five years.
As many as 6.3 million low-income Americans could be dropped from the food stamp rolls in 1996, the department said.
The consequences of such deep cuts, the department’s report suggests, include rising health problems linked to poor diets among low-income Americans, particularly children, pregnant women and the elderly.
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