Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry proposed sweeping cuts that would impact LA's Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Jan Moller, Executive Director of Invest In Louisiana, spoke to WWL’s Tommy Tucker and thinks this would have a devastating impact across the state.
“Louisiana struggles with hunger more than just about any other state. If you’re trying to catch a few bad apples (assuming they exist), you’re also going to trap a lot of families, single moms, people who work but don’t make a lot of money, and make it harder for all of them to put food on the table,” Moller notes.
Many still call SNAP “food stamps” and may consider it a “government hand-out”; Moller is quick to point out that many of those federal dollars also supplement farmers and grocers in the region. “Obviously the individuals who receive these benefits receive food that allows them and their families to eat.
"However, it also plays a huge role in the bottom line of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and farmers themselves who make and grow the food … pretty much anyone who makes and sells food would be impacted,” Moller goes on to say. That means drastic cuts to SNAP could ripple across the economy as a whole.
While some may see SNAP as a bloated government project rife with waste and abuse, Moller notes the data doesn’t back up those arguments.
Proponents of the cuts often say abuse of SNAP benefits is widespread, but experts say the numbers don’t point to rampant waste. Moller also says the ripple effects economically this could create might nullify any fraud found.
“Again, you’re also going to hurt a whole bunch of small and medium sized businesses with this move. We’re talking Albertson’s and Wal-Mart down to the local corner store that depends on these dollars,” adds Moller.
Moller emphasized to WWL’s Tommy Tucker that those who cry foul about rampant fraud often do so without evidence. “If anybody thinks it’s easy to cheat the government and get these benefits, go to the state’s website and see all the hoops you have to jump through to even qualify for SNAP. There are already many hurdles for those who want to get on this program, they monitor this carefully internally, so this is not a program that is riddled with fraud. This is, however, a program that many people use to put food on the table so that they and their kids can eat,” adds Moller.