Momentum is building for new food stamp restrictions that would ban the purchase of candy and soda. This week, however, the Trump administration denied a request from the state of Maine that would have placed such restrictions on its food stamp program. The denial, issued Tuesday, is the first sign that President Donald Trump’s Department […]
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Feds again block junk food ban for food stamps but LePage to try again
For the second time in less than two years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has denied a request by Maine Gov. Paul LePage to ban food stamp recipientsfrom using their benefits to buy sugary drinks and candy. His spokeswoman, Julie Rabinowitz, said Friday that the administration would “revise our waiver request and resubmit it,” but she […]
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Bruce Poliquin tries again to win support for bill to target food stamp fraud
A proposal by a Maine Republican congressman would disqualify anyone with a felony conviction for trafficking drugs from receiving food stamps forever, “This will help make sure limited welfare benefits are saved to compassionately help moms and dads put food on the table for hungry kids,” U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin said on the House floor […]
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Maine GOP hopes Trump administration will back food stamp restrictions
AUGUSTA — Maine resident Zak McCutcheon says he likes soda but acknowledges he’d drink less of it if his governor convinced Republican President Donald Trump to put restrictions on the approximately $200 a month he receives in food stamps. He thinks it may even make recipients healthier and less overweight. “If I was more restricted […]
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Soda tops list of food stamp purchases, estimated $13 million a year in Maine
AUGUSTA — A new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is revealing the items purchased by a typical family on food stamps. The report reveals the number one item bought by families on food stamps is soda; in Maine—that adds up to an estimated more than $13 million a year spent on soft […]
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Portland grocer maintains innocence in food stamp fraud investigation
PORTLAND — The attorney for a Maine business owner accused of food stamp fraud says he should be afforded the “time-honored American tradition of the presumption of innocence.” Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Monday called attention to a federal investigation into allegations that the man pocketed thousands under a cash-back scheme involving food stamps. An […]
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USDA says Paul LePage’s threat can end food stamps in Maine
PORTLAND — If Gov. Paul LePage follows through on this threat to cede Maine’s administration of the federal food stamp program, the federal agricultural agency said it can’t run it, due to a lack of authority and funding. Maine unsuccessfully applied for a waiver to ban using food stamps for buying sugary drinks and candy. […]
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Gov. Paul LePage: Maine will ban buying junk food with food stamps
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage says despite his proposal being rejected by the Legislature and federal government, Maine will move forward with restricting the purchase of what he calls junk foods with food stamps in Maine — or give up administration of the program altogether. “It’s time for the federal government to wake up and […]
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DHHS says Mainers made more money after going off food stamps
AUGUSTA — Making a moral case for Gov. Paul LePage’s welfare agenda, his administration released a report on Wednesday that touted income gains for people culled from Maine’s food stamp rolls. It revolves around the Republican governor’s 2014 move to reinstate federal work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents between the ages of 18 and 49. To receive food […]