9/23/2019

AGRICULTURE/ENTITLEMENTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Governors, mayors, attorneys general, state delegations, teachers and pediatricians have flooded the Agriculture Department with comments that overwhelmingly oppose the Trump administration’s proposed rule to limit eligibility for food stamps — and cut millions from the nation’s pre-eminent food assistance program. The rule change’s public comment period ended on Monday [9-23-19], with more than 75,000 comments logged, 70 from mayors and 17 from governors. Congressional delegations from Vermont, Maryland and Maine also voiced opposition to changing eligibility rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps…It could well move forward with the change. Other proposed regulations from the Trump administration have gone into force despite torrents of negative comments. The Agriculture Department pushed through changes to the nutritional standards of school meals over the objections of more than 85,000 public commenters. The ‘public charge’ rule, which could deny visas or green cards to immigrants who access public assistance, received more than 266,000 comments in opposition but was finalized anyway. And 800,000 comments opposing a loosening of the Endangered Species Act did not stop it from going into effect in August.”

Lola Fadulu, “Agriculture Department Flooded With Appeals to Stop Food Stamp Purge,” The New York Times online, September 23, 2019