Newsweek Discovers Food Insecurity, Neglects Aid Cuts
Newsweek’s recent piece on December’s SNAP benefit changes informs readers about new requirements, like the expanded age range for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), now up to 52, and the reduced time limit for benefits. It's a convenient spotlight on the latest hurdle for the food-insecure, framed as administrative shifts rather than deliberate policy. What the article fails to
foreground is that these changes aren't some organic evolution; they stem directly from the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a bipartisan triumph in austerity that made SNAP benefits a bargaining chip, (while simultaneously increasing military spending). While Americans grapple with rising food prices and stagnant wages, facilitated by what economists call 'greedflation,' our media casually
reports on the tightening of a critical safety net. One might wonder if Newsweek will next report on the shocking number of hungry Americans, perhaps tying it back to the very legislation they just skimmed over, or the bipartisan consensus that consistently prioritizes a bloated defense budget over feeding its own citizens.