Argumentative Essay On Food Aid Program

The United States government funds many programs, of these programs they give money to programs like Food Stamps and also U.S. Food Aid which are designated to help feed more American citizens and many other people in different countries that are experiencing poverty. With these programs that are trying to help out those who need it, the government is not seeing much of a change in the people’s lives or getting them out of poverty. The government should start to reform these programs so that they will be able to see better results. These families are having trouble feeding their families; the government can help them by reforming their programs for the better. The government will be able to see better results by helping more people in the United
States and other Countries. These programs are working hard to make a difference in people’s lives, but they are not making enough of a difference. The government should be reforming their programs to help more people.
There are many people that are experiencing poverty in the world today. “Around 47 million Americans or one in seven people are receiving food stamps” (Reforming the Swelling). In recent years the food stamps program has been spending approximately around 40 billion dollars a year. The amount of money being spent for the program has been increasing to approximately over 80 billion dollars a year (Reforming the Swelling). Yet with the amount of money being spent on these programs there are many households that remain food insecure (Tanner). The Food Stamp programs that are active today depend greatly on the government and on taxpayer’s money (Tanner). The U.S. AID program is an effort by the U.S. government to help save lives in other countries to help them fight poverty (Tanner). Under current law, U.S. Food Aid must be purchased in the United State and then the goods must be transported on an American ship to the desired country that’s in need (Food Aid). The “U.S. Food Aid has helped saved over hundreds of millions of people. The U.S. government spent 1.7 billion dollars, which is less than zero point five percent of the federal budget to help over 46.2 million people in fifty six countries with the U.S. Food Aid program” (Tanner).
The Food Stamps Program is one of many of the government funded programs that should be reformed. They can start to reform these programs by having the programs turn into a work activation program (Reform the Swelling). By adding a work requirement to the program, people who are able to work should have a job, be preparing for a job, or at least looking for a job, for the recipients to receive food stamps (Reforming the Swelling). Rich Lowry states that “Adding a work requirement to food stamps for the able-bodied [...] could reduce dependence.” In other words Lowry means that by adding this restriction to the food stamps it will reduce the recipients of the programs dependence on the government for the money they've been receiving, by adding this restriction to their program the government will be encouraging their recipients to finding work, so they are not solely dependent on these programs.
Another way to reform the Food Stamps programs is by eliminating the loopholes that are within the programs. These loopholes have been making it easier for recipients to enter the food stamp programs for years while they can receive better benefits they wouldn't normally receive (Reforming the Swelling). Someone can be accepted into food stamps program through loopholes by receiving a service from another welfare program (Reforming the Swelling). These loopholes into receiving food stamps have been letting people in a sort of back door for years. These loopholes should be eliminated because being eligible for food stamps can be as simple as receiving a brochure from another welfare group (Reforming the Swelling). These loopholes are just giving more money to recipients of the programs, and these loopholes into receiving more money aren’t fully checked out to see if the recipients actually receive these other welfare programs.
Drug Testing is another reform the food stamps program should be adding. By doing this the recipients of the program will be required to stop using illegal drugs (Reforming the Swelling). This will keep people who are addicted to drugs out of the programs. All applicants and recipients of the program will be tested for the use of illegal drugs (Reforming the Swelling). From Reforming the Swelling, they state that “Drug users would be able to enroll in the food stamps program [...] but would first have to pass a drug test.” By this statement, Reforming the Swelling means that, the government is not excluding drug users from the programs, but making sure they won’t be using the money given to them from the program to buy illegal drugs. By adding the drug testing it will help keep people who are addicted to drugs out of the program, because if their spending the food aid money on illegal drugs, the government is technically funding their habits. That’s not what the programs for.
The U.S.
Food Aid is another program that could use reforming. This program has been helping other countries since WWII (Food Aid). To make this program better to help more people in other countries the U.S. government could directly send the money to the countries and they can buy their goods and supplies locally. This will benefit their country economically and also be helping their local business (Food Aid). Another way to reform this program, the U.S. government could also buy the goods directly from the markets in the other countries and then send them the money (Food Aid). From Food Aid they state “Transportation and shipping costs generally make U.S. Food Aid more expensive than buying food closer to the region in need.” By doing either of these regulations the U.S. government will be saving a significant amount of money that is being wasted on shipping the goods, the money that's being wasted could be used to help feed more people with the U.S. Food Aid in other countries. From Food Aid it “will not only improve the efficiency of the program but will also allow millions of more people to be reached without increasing the federal budget by one penny.” By using these ideas for reforming the U.S Food Aid programs the same amount of money will be spent, there will be no increase in the money the U.S food program receives, and with the money that’s not being spent on shipping, the money in the program will go further without any additional costs. These reforms for the
U.S. Food Aid program will be helping the countries who need it. The U.S. Food Aid can help more people, better their economy and it can happen without more money being put into the program.
There are many people who are opposed to reforming the Food Stamps program, and U.S.
Aid. They believe that by reforming these programs it will cost a lot more money that they don’t want to fund with the Taxpayers dollars. One proposal is to test all welfare recipients, which will cost slot to do. There are people out there that don’t want to be tested in order to be accepted into the program (Reforming the Swelling). In the Food Stamps programs there are many Americans that are receiving benefits and its costing taxpayers a lot of money (Tanner). There has been over 78 billion dollars of taxpayer money spent on these programs to help American citizens (Tanner). There is so much money being spent from the taxpayer’s pockets. The government isn't seeing much of a difference of how its helping the recipients because they haven’t seen a how its helping them rise out of poverty, their considering taking 57 million dollars (Lowry) away from the program because they are not seeing much “Bang for their Buck” (Tanner). If the government was to see a change, taking money away from the program isn't the way to go. They should reform the programs to make the programs better. Plumer states that “Both republicans and democrats have objected to the plan, saying that it would hurt U.S farmers, ships and ports.” In arguing this calm Plummer means, the Republicans and Democrats are opposed to the plan of sending money to other countries in need of assistance from U.S. Food Aid. They are
opposed to that plan because how it will hurt the United State. The Republicans and Democrats shouldn't be worrying about that, the whole reason for the U.S. Food Aid program is to help the other countries who need it, we shouldn't be trying to benefit from the programs that are supposed to be helping other countries.
With the money that the government funds the Food Aid Programs and the U.S. Aid with, you expect to see a difference or a change these programs are making. The government spends a lot on these programs, that’s why the program should start to reform, by reforming these programs we will see the programs helping families in the United States but also other countries who need our governments help, to rise out of poverty. With these changes to Food Aid programs, they’ll make a difference by getting rid of loopholes within the programs, by testing the programs recipients for the use of illegal drugs, and also having the program encourage their recipients to finding work, so they are not solely depended on these programs as their source of income. With the U.S. Food Aid program, by the U.S. sending money to the countries or buying the goods locally in the different countries in need, it will help a significant more amount of people, more so than they are already helping. These reform ideas aren't just things that should be put on the back burner of people’s thoughts. They should be implemented for the better, so we can see better results of these programs.