WASHINGTON – At least 5,700 food stamp recipients in metro Buffalo would lose their benefits under a Trump administration proposal aimed at cutting fraud and waste from the program.
“Some states are taking advantage of loopholes that allow people to receive the benefits who would otherwise not qualify and for which they are not entitled,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in explaining the proposal to reporters late last month.
But according to those who work with the poor in Western New York, those who would lose their food aid aren't fraudsters or wastrels.
"This is just really make it very hard for working families, seniors, people with disabilities," said Catherine Shick, communications director at FeedMore WNY, which runs Buffalo's food bank and Meals on Wheels program. "It would really make it so much more difficult for them to access the critical nutrition and food that they need."