The Trump administration wants to overhaul the nation’s food stamp program, replacing half of the cash benefits recipients receive with a box of canned goods that’s being likened to Blue Apron, a high-end meal kit service, Fortune reports.
The proposal, called “America’s Harvest Box,” would reportedly contain homegrown products, sourced from American farmers and producers.
The box would include items like shelf-stable milk, juice, grains, cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans, canned meat, poultry or fish, canned fruit and vegetables.
It would be worth approximately half of a SNAP recipient’s monthly benefit. The rest of their benefits would continue to be received on electronic benefit cards.
Mike Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, claims that the change would allow the government to save nearly $130 billion over 10 years. Critics of the plan suggest the move would, instead, cost the government more than the current SNAP system.
