Congress is prone to making mistakes when it comes to writing legislation. The possibilities for trouble were endless with the 400-page, $800 billion stimulus package crafted and passed in less than a month. One such apparent screw-up that came to our attention is the loss of food stamp eligibility for an untold number of recipients who also received a bump in their unemployment compensation. Receiving just an additional $25 a week in unemployment caused some citizens to lose $300 in food stamps because the stimulus bump pushed their income above the eligibility cap. Those who are receiving the unemployment aid cannot refuse the “raise” — it’s a mandatory gift from the government.
Lawmakers knew this would be a problem and could have headed it off by declaring the $25 stimulus checks would not affect food stamp assistance, or they could have raised the income tax. But either option would have forced states to recalibrate their programs, which would have been expensive and time consuming. So, instead, some people will just have to sing for their supper. As Vice President Joe Biden has said, the recovery package “clearly has had an impact.”
