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  1. #1
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
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    New Omnibus Bill Doesn’t Defund USDA Program Promoting Food Stamps to Illegals, It on

    New Omnibus Bill Doesn’t Defund USDA Program Promoting Food Stamps to Illegals, It only ‘Strongly’ Encourages It to Stop

    Jan. 14, 2014 3:08pm Sara Carter
    The Blaze


    In this Jan. 14, 2013, file photo House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Top congressional negotiators released on Jan. 13, 2014, a bipartisan $1.1 trillion spending bill that would pay for the operations of government through October and finally put to rest the bitter budget battles of last year. The 1,582-page bill was released after weeks of negotiations between Rogers and Senate counterpart Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who kept a tight lid on the details. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

    The more than $1 trillion federal appropriations measure filed this week 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.

    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 immigrants 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 TheBlaze on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

    The program has existed for more than a decade.

    “It’s simply appalling that our government is even doing this—recruiting people who have come to America into government dependence,” said the GOP congressional aide. “There is an ongoing partnership with USDA and the government of Mexico to promote food stamp use by Mexican nationals in the U.S. What happens in the omnibus is they put out the summary document claiming they are prohibiting the program. But in reality, there is no language that does this. There is language in the nonbinding explanatory statement encouraging USDA to stop working with foreign governments to promote food stamp use by immigrants, but that is not legally binding.”

    A DHS website WelcomeToUSA.gov has a page promoting welfare benefits to newly arrived immigrants. In the past, documents have been uncovered directing participants that they do not have to divulge their immigration status.

    Rogers, however, does discuss the problems with the program and the significant costs believed to be associated with the program in his explanatory statement that was offered with the bill. As is, the omnibus bill allocates $82,169,945,000 for the SNAP and includes roughly $72,000,000,000 for benefits.

    “There is concern about the use of valuable tax dollars to promote enrollment of SNAP through radio, television, and other advertisements as well as outreach activities with foreign governments to encourage the use of SNAP. USDA is strongly encouraged to cease these types o f government-sponsored recruitment activities,” Roger’s explanatory statement says. Read the full statement here.

    A government aide with knowledge of the proceedings told TheBlaze that “For practical purposes, the Committee considers this language as a ‘directive’ to ‘ban’ and it is binding in that future SNAP budget could potentially hinge on compliance.”

    Even though the bill technically would not eliminate the program, it stipulates that the requirements that would help the agricultural secretary “weed out” and “eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the SNAP program – including a directive to ban fraudulent vendors, and a prohibition on advertisements or outreach with foreign governments.”

    The bill was filed Monday night and is expected to be voted on in the House on Wednesday and the Senate by Friday, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014...es-it-to-stop/
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  2. #2
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL CONTINUES FUNDING FOOD STAMP ADS IN MEXICO

    by MATTHEW BOYLE
    14 Jan 2014, 2:11 PM PDT

    The omnibus spending bill before Congress continues to fund U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advertising programs for food stamps in foreign countries like Mexico, Breitbart News has learned.

    The bill was hashed out between House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Senate Appropriations Committee chairwoman Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). The funding will continue despite claims in a document the House Appropriations Committee published that the bill contains a “prohibition” on such programs. Page three of this press document states regarding food stamps that the omnibus spending bill contains a "prohibition on advertisements or outreach with foreign governments."

    The entire paragraph that contains that statement reads:

    Requirements for the Secretary of Agriculture to help weed out and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the SNAP program – including a directive to ban fraudulent vendors, and a prohibition on advertisements or outreach with foreign governments.

    However, upon reading through the text of the bill and the bill summary explanatory document, there is no such “prohibition” included in it. Instead, the explanatory document that Rogers published just states that USDA is “strongly discouraged” from advertising food stamps programs with foreign governments.

    “There is concern about the use of valuable tax dollars to promote enrollment of SNAP through radio, television, and other advertisements as well as outreach activities with foreign governments to encourage the use of SNAP,” the explanatory document Rogers published states. “USDA is strongly encouraged to cease these types of government-sponsored recruitment activities.”

    There is a massive difference between actually prohibiting the use of funds via law through the omnibus bill, or defunding the program, and merely issuing a strongly-worded warning to the USDA about the practice.
    House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing admitted to Breitbart News that there is not really a “prohibition” on funding for such programs.

    “The committee’s position is that for practical purposes, this language is a ‘directive’ to ‘ban,’” Hing said in an email on Tuesday. “It is binding in that decisions on future SNAP funding could hinge on compliance.”

    Yet the mere threat of future repercussions if the USDA continues these practices does nothing to stop them now.

    Current USDA secretary Tom Vilsack has promoted this policy of advertising food stamps programs with foreign governments and evaded oversight pressure from various members of Congress, like Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), on the matter.

    In a July 18, 2012, letter to Vilsack, for instance, Sessions wrote that the USDA has not complied with oversight requests from his staff on this matter – and that the advertising of U.S. food stamps programs in foreign countries like Mexico represents a gross departure from food stamps’ original purpose.

    “It has become increasingly clear that the mission of the food stamp program has moved from targeted welfare assistance for those in need into an aggressive drive to expand enrollment regardless of need,” Sessions wrote to Vilsack. “To cite just one example, a character in a USDA-produced Spanish language ‘radio novela’ tries to convince a friend to enroll in food stamps even though that individual says ‘I don’t need anyone’s help. My husband earns enough to take care of us.’ The first individual responds, ‘When are you going to learn?’ Pride ought to be celebrated, not mocked.”
    Sessions followed up again with Vilsack in March 2013 after the secretary provided the senator with a minimal response that did not fully answer his questions.

    Similarly, during the Senate Budget Committee markup of the Democratic budget that Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) offered last year, Sessions offered an amendment that would have ended the USDA’s partnership with Mexico on food stamp advertising in that country. Senate Democrats unanimously voted against that Sessions amendment.

    The omnibus spending bill from Rogers and Mikulski is the second part of the budget deal that House Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) cut with Murray. The Ryan-Murray deal set broad outlays, while the Rogers-Mikulski omnibus spending bill offers specific funding directed at various programs and agencies as part of a reflection of the broader guidelines of the Ryan-Murray deal.

    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...of-prohibition

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    The $1 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Is Out: Now Find Out What's In It


    Marguerite Bowling
    January 14, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    Late yesterday, Washington lawmakers dropped a massive, 1,582-page spending bill that will fund the entire government for fiscal year 2014.

    Known as the omnibus spending bill, the gigantic legislative text works off a budget deal that set spending at $1.012 trillion—$45 billion more than previous spending caps that were agreed upon by a bipartisan majority in 2011.

    In other words, your tax dollars will fund this bloated spending bill, which adds to the nation’s debt of $17 trillion.

    With so much at stake, The Foundry has posted the actual bill for you to read.

    Last night and into the early hours of this morning, Heritage’s team of policy experts combed through the bill to produce this comprehensive analysis. It highlights the pork projects, ineffective government programs, and giveaways for corporate cronies included in the omnibus.

    But in case you’re pressed for time, here are the highlights of what our experts have documented so far (in 140 characters or less).

    Members of Congress might not read the 1,582-page #omnibus, but our team is on it. pic.twitter.com/OUNZ4rR7c5

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Your tax dollars are subsidizing unreliable energy programs at a cost of $3.5 million. http://t.co/OIcBAGLZiT #omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Lawmakers stuff #omnibus with at least $1.5 billion green handouts: http://t.co/OIcBAGLZiT

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Congress rewards Amtrak for its poor performance, offers $1.39 billion subsidy in #omnibus. http://t.co/OIcBAGLZiT

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Oil, coal and natural gas industry makes plenty of money. So why is Congress giving it $562 million? http://t.co/oMqe39w86z#omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    #Omnibus provides a funding lifeline for #Obamacare. Read more on The Foundry: http://t.co/oMqe39w86z

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Here’s what a trillion-dollar #omnibus spending bill looks like:pic.twitter.com/mYHzjFqNCo

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Obama Administration study found Head Start ineffective. So why is #omnibus increasing spending by $612 million?
    http://t.co/oMqe39w86z

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Did you know your tax dollars are paying for a $20 million trolley car in Kansas City, MO? http://t.co/oMqe39w86z #omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Do you think Congress should spend $16 million on a 6-mile pedestrian mall in Fresno, CA? http://t.co/oMqe39w86z #omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Congress blocks postal reform, won’t let @USPS discontinue Saturday deliveries or close rural post offices.http://t.co/oMqe39w86z #omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    #Omnibus spends your money on @UNFPA –> organization with ties to China’s coercive family planning regimehttp://t.co/oMqe39w86z

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Diesel Emissions Reduction grants pay for retrofitted tractors, electrified parking spaces, 1950s locomotivehttp://t.co/oMqe39w86z #omnibus

    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014
    Congress could have tightened its belt on spending. With this#omnibus, it failed miserably. http://t.co/OIcBAGLZiT
    — Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 14, 2014

    http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/14/...gn&utm_content

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