EQUITY EXPRESS FAST FACT: Gouging the Poor's Food Stamp Benefits to Save Teacher Jobs Is the Senate's Cruel Choice

America's poorest families have never experienced a reduction in monthly food stamp benefits—until now. To pay for an education jobs bill, the Senate voted on Wednesday to cut $11.9 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps), beginning in 2014. Making matters worse, senators on Thursday passed additional legislation that would move the date the cuts would take effect to 2013.

The result: A family of four living in poverty ultimately would see its benefits drop by about $59 a month, pushing the 40 million Americans on food stamps into soup-kitchen lines long before the end of every month. Some senators are hoping to reverse these cuts before the legislation passes both houses of Congress. Ed Trust has joined a coalition of social justice organizations to fight these cruel cuts.