U.S. military families must not go hungry
Rep. Susan Davis, a California Democrat, is right to spotlight the sad fact that low-paid members of the military struggle to buy food for their families in areas where shelter is expensive. The housing allowances these families receive count as income in determining eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps.
“(The) military pay structure is not designed for junior military families in high-cost areas,” the San Diego Democrat said Wednesday. “Of all the sacrifices military families make, putting food on the table should not be one of them.” Davis wants the defense budget bill now being finalized by the House and Senate to include a “basic needs allowance” for military members whose basic pay is at or less than 130% of the federal poverty level, which is $25,100 for a family of four.
Given that the Trump administration adamantly opposes Davis’ proposal as a de facto pay raise, another option might be to adopt changes in the rules for SNAP so military families in expensive places like San Diego can get the food assistance they deserve. But one way or another, Congress and the administration must fix this problem. Some military families should not have to rely on charity food banks to have enough to eat. That’s a basic need.
— The San Diego Union-Tribune
Killing the opioid pain: A hope-filled decline in fatal overdoses is endangered by Trump administration folly
Pause for a brief moment to note some good news for which the Trump administration can, it seems, take some credit.
After nearly three decades of fatal drug overdoses increasing, preliminary numbers show a 5.1% drop nationwide from 2017 to 2018, falling from more than 70,000 deaths to around 68,000. Among states, New York saw the eighth-sharpest decline _ down 9.1%.
Alas, overdoses from fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine continued to rise.
Driving the decrease: Commitment at both the federal and state levels to clamp down on the distribution of prescription painkillers. Long overdue, considering that between 2006 and 2012, a staggering 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills flooded the market, according to a just-revealed DEA database tracking all such pills sold in the country.
Things could quickly go bad again, however. As part of an initial commitment to tackling opioids, the administration and Congress agreed in 2017 to authorize $3.3 billion in treatment grants to states. Those grants expire next year. Indeed, some states have already used their allotment.
Of even greater concern: Much state anti-opioid funding flowed through Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, which the administration is still gleefully seeking to turn to rubble.
Pray the administration builds on lifesaving progress rather than pushing dangerous prescriptions.
— New York Daily News