New Report Nearly Triples Estimated Amount Covid Fraudsters Stole In Unemployment Benefits
Americans will pay on multiple levels for this overspending long after the lockdowns have concluded.If The Post-Covid ‘Recovery’ Was So Great, Why Can’t I Get Better Than Two-Star Service?
From high prices, to shortages, to poor service, politicians and economists don't want to talk about the major lingering effects of lockdowns.Army directs financially strapped soldiers to welfare, food stamps as recruitment numbers continue to tumble
The Army has directed members who are struggling to make ends meet to supplement their income through government assistance programs.
A financial literacy guide written by Sergeant Major Michael Grinston and posted to the Army website about a month ago reminds soldiers that they may qualify for government-issued assistance such as welfare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — otherwise known as food stamps — just like their struggling civilian counterparts do.
"SNAP is a U.S. government program that provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families via an electronic benefits transfer card that can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food in authorized retail food stores," Grinston wrote. "Service members and their families may be eligible. To determine qualification, visit the SNAP website or call the SNAP information line at 800-221-5689."
While Grinston's piece includes a variety of suggestions for soldiers and their families in addition to welfare and food stamps, it also admits that rising inflation has affected the "financial health" of many members, and Grinston gives no indication that COLA raises for soldiers are forthcoming.
With low pay and rising prices for food and gas, some soldiers may eventually feel forced to accept food and housing assistance from the same government that determines their monthly income. Mackenzie Eaglen, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, claims that "24% of enlisted personnel are food insecure," per the Pentagon.
"While food stamps are a Band-Aid," she continued, "they’re also an admission that basic pay for enlisted troops and their families is too low — further exacerbated by unyielding inflation, causing paychecks to shrink more."
According to the federal government, a recent Army enlistee with two years of experience or less receives just shy of $22,000 a year in salary. Soldiers do receive pay raises as they are promoted, though as the Daily Wire notes, years of experience alone do not necessarily result in concomitant pay increases.
The dispiriting suggestion that desperate soldiers go on the public dole could not come at a worse time for the Army, which has had tremendous difficulty recruiting new members in recent months. In July, the Army admitted that it had met just 40% of its recruitment goals, despite offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000. Though the Army has lowered its standards for new recruits and attempted to rebrand itself as an institution devoted to diversity and inclusion, these new marketing approaches have still failed to entice new enlistees and officers.
Biden admin approves largest-ever permanent increase to food stamp program, claims effort will 'stabilize our democracy'
The Biden administration on Monday announced the largest-ever increase to the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, approving an additional $20 billion for the already expansive initiative.
The increase, which is meant to be permanent, hikes food stamp stipends by more than 20% from their pre-pandemic levels and affects every single one of the program's 42 million beneficiaries, the New York Times first reported.
"The move does not require congressional approval, and unlike the large pandemic-era expansions, which are starting to expire, the changes are intended to last," the Times added in its report.
The SNAP program, designed to provide food assistance to low-income families and individuals, has been steadily growing since its inception in 1974. It now feeds about 1 in 8 Americans.
In a news release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture explained that as a part of the revamped Thrifty Food Plan, beneficiaries will receive an additional $36 a month. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the monthly stipend was $121.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack described the increase as an investment in the future.
"A modernized Thrifty Food Plan is more than a commitment to good nutrition — it's an investment in our nation's health, economy, and security," Vilsack said. "Ensuring low-income families have access to a healthy diet helps prevent disease, supports children in the classroom, reduces health care costs, and more."
In conversation with the Times a week earlier, Vilsack added that the food stamp safety net helps "stabilize our democracy."
"We may have a Constitution and a Declaration of Independence, but if we had 42 million Americans who were going hungry, really hungry, they wouldn't be happy and there would be political instability," he explained.
The USDA changes come as a result of the 2018 Farm Bill and President Biden's COVID-19 relief executive order issued Jan. 22. In the order, Biden called for the program to be expanded and the nutrition plan to be revised in order to accurately account for "the true cost of a basic healthy diet."
"To set SNAP families up for success, we need a Thrifty Food Plan that supports current dietary guidance on a budget," Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, noted in the news release. "Too many of our fellow Americans struggle to afford healthy meals. The revised plan is one step toward getting them the support they need to feed their families."
According to the Times, critics of the plan argue that an increase isn't needed since the program is designed to cover only part of the beneficiary's monthly grocery bill, not all of it.
They also argue that the monthly stipend would go a lot further if beneficiaries spent it on nutritious foods rather than unhealthy snacks. USDA data shows that 10% of SNAP program stipend money is spent on sugary drinks.
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