Spending Deal Continues Funding USDA Program to Promote Food Stamps to Illegal Aliens

The more than $1 trillion federal appropriations measure passed today in the House does not eliminate a controversial program initiated by the Department of Agriculture and with the assistance of the Mexican government that promotes food stamps through outreach and advertising to illegal immigrants living in and coming into the United States. In fact, it only “strongly” encourages the Department of Agricultural to stop the program, according to the explanatory statement offered by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers. Rogers worked out the arrangement with Senate counterpart Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) in consultations before the bill was filed. Although federal law requires that those granted entry into the U.S. must be able to support themselves financially, the administration continues to promote food stamps to illegal aliens through SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). There is no exact estimate on how much the program has cost taxpayers in terms of personnel, increased enrollment and the actual food stamps distributed to Mexican nationals living in the U.S. illegally because there has never been a cost estimate conducted on the program, a GOP congressional aide told Top Right News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter...more