Hank Johnson couldn’t quite do it. He had tried to live on $31.50 worth of groceries for a week as part of the “food stamp challenge” but on Wednesday night, one meal short of finishing the week, he broke down and bought – gasp! – sushi.
By the end of the week, the DeKalb County Democratic congressman admitted he was “discombobulated” and the challenge was more difficult than the cleansing fasts he sometimes performed as a youth.
About 30 House Democrats took the challenge last week as the House debated the Farm Bill, which funds farm and nutrition programs and is already a year overdue. Republicans, in part by ending automatic food stamp eligibility for those who get other types of assistance, sought to cut the program by $20 billion over 10 years.
The federal government spent $74.6 billion on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program last year, and conservatives have targeted the fast-rising number for belt-tightening. Democrats tried to demonstrate that food stamp recipients, whose ranks have swelled in the recession, do not exactly live the high life.
Johnson’s shopping list included hot dogs, ramen noodles, oatmeal and bananas. He had to put back the broccoli because it put him over budget. The plan consisted of two meals a day, with bananas to bridge the gap.
The challenge earned Democrats some conservative scorn and mockery. The press secretary for Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, boasted that he had “debunked” the food stamp challenge by purchasing enough food for the week for $27.58. He apparently subsisted on peanut butter and jelly, and rice and beans with no meat or produce.
But the real flaw in the food stamp challenge is that 75 percent of benefit recipients, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, report purchasing more food with their own money. Johnson acknowledged the challenge was not a pure representation of how food stamp recipients live, but said it was more about “legislators sensitizing themselves to the plight of people who have less than they (do).”
On the third day of his challenge Johnson visited a food bank in Loganville, where he said 250 people were lined up in the morning sun in anticipation of a big delivery. He spoke about his attempt at solidarity and some of the folks in line told him they were receiving far less than $31.50 per person per week.
“I’m hopeful that everybody can eat halfway decently, but I expect a lot of people go hungry every single night,” Johnson said in an interview in the Speaker’s Lobby next to the House floor.
As he returned to the floor, Johnson said it was “crazy” that the House was about to vote to cut food stamps in the Farm Bill. But then a funny thing happened: the bill fell apart, and Republican leaders were dealt a rare and embarrassing loss on the floor. Only five of 14 Georgians voted for it.
Post-vote autopsies pointed to food stamps as the challenging culprit. Outside groups such as Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Heritage Action rallied conservatives against the bill in part because it did not cut food stamps enough. Meanwhile, Democrats might have provided enough votes to push the bill over the hump, but a late amendment to impose new work requirements on food stamp recipients was too much for many to bear.
The setback leaves the food stamp program unchanged. When the bill’s demise was sealed, Democrats broke out in cheers.
