With Poverty Still High, Food Stamps Should Be Expanded

The Census data released today reinforces that reducing poverty should be a national priority. The headline? From 2010 to 2011 official poverty rate remained flat at 15%. That’s better then many analysts expected, but it’s still a pressing problem. That’s also just one measure. Dylan Matthews at Wonkblog rightly points out that the official metric misses the impact of government programs.

So how are we really doing?

On the campaign trail, candidates have lambasted the administration, Obama particularly, for the expansion of food stamps, with Newt Gingrich famously mocking President Obama as the “food stamp President.” But the evidence suggests that food stamps, or SNAP, have been one of the few bright spots in the administration’s record on poverty.