An Initiative to End Welfare Abuse

Missouri GOP will be ruling on a bill that restrict welfare spenders from purchasing unnecessary food items such as “cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak”. Items such as steak or seafood are considered delicacy items food stamp recipients do not necessarily need but may just crave. Other items such as cookies and chips are simply unnecessary. 

Rick Brattin has sponsored this legislation (House Bill 813) to help guide food stamps back to their original intent, to bring nutritional value to recipients, not to be spent on inessential items. Under the new regulations, some items not considered luxury items will also be restricted since seafood includes canned items like tuna or frozen foods like fish sticks. Brattin stated his “intention wasn’t to get rid of canned tuna and fish sticks” but rather he would like the abuse of the welfare system to end. 

Any restrictions to the welfare programs, specifically food stamps, raises issues with liberals. However the new restriction, Brattin reassures is meant to “reduce the luster of the program” and to cause a drawback on the use of food stamps since “the ability to buy anything and everything under the sun will no longer be there”. Some people, possibly those more on the liberal side, feel labeling some foods too luxurious is outrageous and those who qualify for food stamps should have the freedom to choose how they use the money given to them.