Alan bjerga of Bloomberg News. It is a 21 billion a year program. How many people does that reach and what is the amount of assistance at each one of the individual recipients in the program gets . It has gone from the 20 million level and its been 70 billion now. It affects 40 one million americans. That is about one out of every eight. During the recession at one point it was one out of seven. You have seen the number go down. The amount of money people get can very much vary. Some people get very small checks. It is based on what your income level is and what youre need may be at the time. Host what are you allowed to spend benefits on and what cant you spend it on . Spend it onannot cigarettes or alcohol or nonnutritious foods. You cannot spend it on hot meals. This is a subsidy for Grocery Store purchases. There are no other real restrictions on what you can get. That is different from some other different programs. Other than those things, you can buy what you want. Host you mentioned other programs, snap is the biggest. These programs are they and who do they fall under . Guest you have everything from commodity supplemental food which gives commodities to older folks. You have support to meals on wheels. Snap is by far the largest. It is spending 10 times about what the womens, infants, and Children Program is. To do not see cash transfers take place like that under our system anymore. Host what are the requirements to get on snap . Guest income levels and eligibility levels they vary from state to state. While this is a federal program, it is state administered. Variations from state to state in terms of whether or not other programs qualify you for the snap program. The headline number seven 1 billion in fiscal year 2016. Over 40 million americans making use of the snap program. We have a special line for good stamp recipients, the line is 748, 2002. Otherwise the phone lines are as usual. Democrats, 202 7488000, republicans 202 7488001 independents, 202 7488002. The line for food stamp 8 003. Nts is 202 748, call into tells what you use your benefits on and tells about your use of the snap rogue ramp in want to hear from you this morning. Alan bjerga, there has been criticism from congress about how states are using snap benefits and distributing them. Not so much with the individuals, but with the state. Guest this will be the big story over the next few months as Congress Tries to write a farm bill. Is a fiveyear reauthorization of programs which includes supplemental assistance program. There was a hearing last week and you saw senator pat roberts who is ahead of the Agriculture Committee taking a look at specifically a usda Inspector Generals report that took a look at how states were verifying the error rates within the program. It is basically how much it is overpaid or underpaid. Advocates have talked about how that error rate has been going down. However, the Inspector General report shows there was a lot of problems in terms of state following guidelines or regulations and reporting properly. They were using thirdparty vendors. Got to the point where the usda has not been able to since 2014. A rate there have been civil actions initiated. States have an incentive to do this because if they have low error rates they could qualify for bonus money. They are trying to get to the bottom of this. This becomes a framing device abuseose who want to cut within the program. Nutrition advocates will see the headlines and it will lead to unnecessary and unnecessary cuts to the program. Hearing, you talk about where they discussed the generals report. [video clip] states, all but a few the process used to report errors has failed. That is the erroneous payments that states have made is completely unknown. Put, no one knows the air or rate of snap and that is unacceptable. The federal government does not even know the basic elements of how long this has been occurring. This program accounts for over 75 of farm bill spending. If we are unable to verify that this program is making every dollar counts and ensure that the right amount of assistance is going to those who really need it, then something needs to change. The investigation continues. What does it mean for the snap program and this appropriation cycle . Are they looking to be cuts . Guest that is the big question. Since we are getting into the reauthorization of the snap program, it could have longlasting repercussions. Michigan saidw of we all care about Program Integrity and want to get to the bottom of it. These are problem in state reporting and not individual fraud and not the things that make people angry. She is making a cautious approach to making changes the cause of this. In favor of work requirements and tightening the programs are looking at other things and saying there are issues with the program. We do not know the integrity and we need to look closer. Host if you have questions about agricultural policy, alan bjerga from Bloomberg News is a want to talk about. He is a reporter at bloomberg. You can check out his work. Taking your calls on the special line. Otherwise, the lines for democrats republicans and. Ndependents grateful for this program. I have worked my entire life. I got a cancer diagnosis and had to stop working. I qualify for this program. Think there are things that need to be changed about it. People that need the program, i think they are getting what they need based on their situation. I also think people abuse the system. I think people sell their food stamps instead of using them according to what the needs are. There should be oversight. It is important for seniors and veterans and people find themselves in situations through no part of their own that they need additional help. I do notto a more, think they need to cut it, but i think they need to figure out who really needs what. There are a lot of people who find themselves in need. Guest i appreciate your comments. The color brings up issues. Taking a look at key questions, trying to get it to the folks who need it most without creating problems. A lot of it deals with folks who. Re ablebodied adults the number since the financial crisis receiving stamp benefits has been going up. During a time of high joblessness, the Unemployment Rate has gone down. You are asking why folks are on the snap program. , like theer side color receiving a cancer diagnosis, there is a push from the usda to make sure eligible people sign up for the program. We have not seen the enrollment rate go down as quickly as it went out. Ones, itgh the latest is about prerecession levels. Are being targeted who fall in this category of being needy and disabled and being children. Those are the vast bulk of snap recipients to this day. Folks who want changes to the program are also being met who are saying lets not change things so much that truly needy people are cut off from benefits. The enrollment rate went up, where the requirements loosened to the program or was it just more people fit into the category . Guest for the most part, it was the latter. People fell into the category and they were more aggressive. You had a 50 of the on snap at the beginning of the century. Now you see that in the 70th 70th percentile. You seem to more aggressively do things that qualified people for people. States were using those benefits and helping people sign up for that program. They could automatically qualify for the snap program and get those benefits. These were folks who were eligible, but it was an end around that a lot of republicans in the last farm bill did not feel it was the spirit of signing people up. It saved a little bit of money for the program. Eileen and people who make use of this program. Ander thank you for cspan thank you for talking about this today. I receive snap benefits and have for a while. I am disabled and low income and it really helps me be a lot better. So thank you very much and thank you for having this program, im interested. Host thanks for the call. It is a nationwide thing . An interesting issue. In terms of expanding access to is a very grocerystore based benefit and people arent ecessarily shopping at Grocery Stores. Everyone from amazon. Com, to s markets rmer looking at how can people use benefits most effectively. Farmers markets have fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, people can go s buy doritos or soft drinks, hatever you want with it there has been some pilot programs, a lot are not nationwide, but it expanded, allowing people to use snap benefits at you havemarkets, where often healthier style of produce. Doritos soft drinks issue, what is the latest on efforts to tighten up the you cant buy those sort of things, something we talked about. Guest one issue you have with that, you have the nutrition ommunity that is concerned people have adequate and good food, you have push from food know, Companies Like kroger, walmart, bis gross ross big grocers, channel money toward this. They dont want to deal with the utrition issues and changes in terms of what people have. There is a question about patrnalism, despite stereotypes, dont eat ents differently than other people. If you start telling them, okay, you cant be trusted to eat healthy food because youre poor morally problematic for a lot of folks. Host 15 minutes with alan bjerga. If you have questions, particularly if you participate program, the food stamp program, want to hear your stories. Folks, line for those 2027838003. Otherwise, lines as usual. Independent in lockport, new york, good morning. Caller hi. Thanks, steve. Hi. m i wonder why they dont distribute surplus food like when i was a kid . On indian reservations. Host you talking about the government Cheese Program . Caller not just cheese, i mean, peanut butter, they did fish, tuna fish, they of different foods, good variety. Guest some goes back to the programs, the arm way farm bills are being done. When you had a different era of programs, you had farmers being paid to dump milk or anagement of supply, the government would have excess commodities that were being held would be ses and they sent to folks. You see a small amount of that hrough the commodity supplemental program, very much on the margin. For the most part, the government has gotten out of the food warehousing and distribution business, it is not money, it is of easier with the snap program to get reloaded. A d stamp system now misnomar. They dont exist anymore. Way to t card, better administer the program. Joane , line for democrats, good morning. Caller yes, good morning. On the program. I lost my significant other years ago this month and im struggling right now trying to make ends meet. Ive been disabled, i was on ssi, and they took me off my age. Of i got are really tough, information and tried to apply. Approved, but i was only amount of at irst their 16 a month and two days later they sent me a letter giving me 18 a month. Going to help me. Enrolled for meals on wheels, but im vegetarian and from that ming program isnt beneficial to me. So im host can i ask you why it was 18 . And why it was on the lower end of scale that we talked about early sner did they say why . Income, they my had me down, i get supposed 958 a month, but my take 32 deductions for health insurance, which leaves me with 926. On the low end, but im there is another program through the senior center, that is trying to help done from the torrential rains we had last year year, it destroyed my front door things. K door and other im afraid the 18 allotment are giving me will for any other assistance. Sharing ne thanks for your story. Guest first of all, im sorry o hear of your loss, three years can be a short recovery depending on the loss and the strength of the relationship. What the caller is pointing to ureaucratic issues involved in general. Not knowing incredible amount about the callers personal financial situation, you can see is a maze of different programs, different initiatives people ification levels encounter. One issue with the snap program s that there is an issue categoried categorical eligibility. You are signed up for one type qualify m that would you for snap, you automatically qualify for snap. His gets into tightening of eligibility issue, something folks are looking at with the bill. Arm snap eligibility is clearer in erms of getting people on that kwul fifor the program. Bureaucracy. Ore host charlotte, north carolina. Charles, good morning. Agriculture Department Says 20 of every snap dollar is spent on drinks, deserts, candy and sugar. Sell of big businesses salty snacks, cokes and so forth, if we want to help people, i dont know that onefifth of the nutrition quote nquote, money being spent trying to help people should be spent on those items. Been around ver people, ever been in the grocery people been around using snap, i question, not only are you not helping them today, the future when they have diabetes and other problems the governmentville to pay for. Want to get your comment. Guest that is what we were talking about earlier. Nutrition programs within the snap program. People say in the name of diet and and Better Health outcomes, an emerging issue, you should have restrictions. The grocer chains say this cant efficiently. And e point at the infants Children Program and say it folklore 71 billion program in 2016, how much of the make up, does that significant portion . Guest three quarters of the bill. People talk about subsidies in the farm bill, that is maybe 15 20 of the farm bill, when you take a look at that piece of goeslation, even though it through the Agriculture Committee, largest social elfare Spending Program in the country. Host who is history of combining snap with other issues in the farm bill . It has been administered from the department of agriculture, there is history back to the 1930s, modern oalition, urban and rural lawmakers that pass the snap program has been going for about 40 years. You saw folks like senator dole of kansasob bring the bill on with nutrition comprehensive legislation. Host back to phones, beverly in on sonville, pennsylvania, the snap program. Good morning. Caller good morning. For cspan. On a senior citizen, im social security. And without the snap program, i survive. Be able to im 69. Have to eat and i well. Is so expensive. I shop parameter of the supermarket, produce, fresh meat, les, fresh fruit, dairy. D poultry and a month just 225 for me, one person, to eat well. The problem. People on food stamps, yeah, cut, they shouldnt be able to buy soda, shouldnt cookies, but the families are feeding their kids because its cheap. Ts cheaper than buying the parameter of the Grocery Store. Host alan bjerga. Makes an e caller excellent point, this goes to the u. S. Food system, the fact foods, processed foods, sodas have longer if ration dates, you know, you have small children and the children get a taste for it, they are begging for it. Probably have other issues in your life, you want to get the stress down. Is a psyche and he will peep kel get strapped and folks may see as being not necessarily proper, but the says judge not lest ye be judged. In this hear that debate. Host coming up, members of districts with been impacted by the hurricane. Snap, is there such thing as snap, can victims of hurricane damage apply for snap benefits . Bring that lad you up, there is misinformation in florida and the aftermath of irma. There is d snap, disaster snap. The eligibility, income are about the same. This is essentially additional food stamp benefits you can get in a count we power utages for a certain amount of time or some sort of qualification for the disaster. It pushes up number of people on nap and helps them get groceries, rumors going on the internet the government is couple hundredor bucks if you lost power for a couple hours. That is not the case. Are specific qualifications than that, if you qualify tis worth check withing county if you qualify for benefits. Host speaking of the so many s, florida, crops grown there. What was irmas impact on crop supplies right now . Irma has not had a huge impact right now. Of winter ws a lot fruits and vegetables and those were about to be planted. Issues with citrus this winter thurt a lost oranges, fresh fruit and vegetables, be issues, as well. Harvey, over in texas, cattle lost by that. Host time for a few more coals. Yolanda, wait nothing duncanville, texas, line for democrats, go ahead. Good morning. I was wondering, considering the how much wouldd, 71 billion program go down if that worked 40 hours er week earned a decent wage like 15 an hour . Tying this to the minimum wage debate . Caller exactly. Uest this will depend on the household. If you are making 15 and supporting a family of four, making different than 15 yourself. Again, these are individual state tonces that vary state. It would draw folks down from the enrollment levels. I have not seen a study at that specific threshold, im hesitant you the exact number off the top of my head, it would be kind of scary. Alan bjerga with Bloomberg News. Appreciate your time. Back again. Guest thank you. Host up next, well check in ith members of Congress Whose districts were impacted by Hurricane Harvey and irma. Phones. Pen you can call in to talk about any Public Policy issue you want to discuss. Democrats, republicans, independents on your screen. Start call nothing now, well be right back. We have to be sure that we get the best value for the we currentlyollars spend and that we do the best system an to reform the so that health care is delivered at higher ently quality to all americans. He simple fact is that americans are spending nearly year on health a care and we are not getting our worth. 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