“I don’t want to steal somebody’s copyright. You actually receive the food instead of receive the cash,” Mulvaney told reporters Monday.
President Donald Trump has criticized SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as unwieldy and wasteful, and he feels as though the program would be a huge benefit for federal bureaucracy.
Currently SNAP recipients can choose what they spend their money on while shopping at any approved retailer, but according to the White House, the new boxes would go to households that qualify for $90 or more per month in food stamps. A summary of the proposal compiled by the Agriculture Department stated that the boxes would also replace half of the current program’s cash benefits. All of the food will be grown domestically and include “shelf- stable” items such as juice, pasta, canned meat and beans.
“It lowers the cost to us because we can buy prices at wholesale, whereas [beneficiaries’ have to buy it at retail. It also makes sure they’re getting nutritious food. So we’re pretty excited about that,” Mulvaney said.