Republicans that make the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for deep cuts in spending on the food stamp program meant to sustain the poor. The split was just minor — 217 Congressmen opted for the trimming, while 210 ruled it out. As a result, 3.8 million Americans in need may be left without the government’s assistance. The decrease in the food stamp financing would save 39 billion dollars during the upcoming 10 years. The government has yearly spent about 4 billion dollars on the program, which is just 5% of the total expenses related to the food stamps. Healthy, dependants-free adults are the first to be deprived of the state’s help. Most of men and women receiving the stamps and other benefits do not even try to find a job. Moreover, the workers of the support centres are now also allowed to demand from the claimants documents proving they are seeking employment and conduct drug tests among them. For now, the food stamps take 78 billion dollars a year to fund. The aid is provided to 48 million Americans, which is 16% of the national population. However, the Obama administration has already threatened to veto the bill approved by the House of Representatives calling it "heartless".
