Amid some level of fiscal restraint in Washington, the federal government is beginning to look like the California state government as they increasingly use sleight of hand to find new money to spend, in this case, ironically, to help the states. With food stamp recipients now at a record high of over 40 million, cutting spending in this area a few years out is seen as the best way to free up funds today to send to the states for Medicaid expenses and to save a hundred thousand or more teachers’ jobs. The details are in this story at Politico.
SNAP, the federal food stamp program, is getting snapped up by Democrats these days, hungry for savings to placate deficit hawks and clear the way for legislation.
In a matter of hours Thursday, the Senate approved state fiscal aid and child nutrition bills that help pay for themselves by cutting more than $14 billion from food stamps. The savings come from rolling back a benefit increase approved in the giant economic recovery act last year, but with each bill, the cutoff date has gotten closer and closer, alarming anti-poverty groups.
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Cash-strapped governors are promised $16.1 billion to help pay Medicaid bills next year, and $10 billion will be distributed to state and local school boards to address the more immediate threat of teacher layoffs.
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In the case of the school aid, the Education Department estimates that as many as 145,000 teaching positions could be saved with the added funds — a major reason for the House to return now from its recess.
The next thing you know, Washington will decide to pay all federal employees on November 1st instead of in October so as to shift 1/12th of their payroll expenses into the next fiscal year as California did not long ago.
Short-term solutions to structural problems don’t seem to work very well in the long run…



But last year, Bennett ended his six-year membership at the private Stanton Ridge Golf and Country Club in Whitehouse Station, N.J.





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