What does it mean if more than 50 million Americans couldn't afford to buy food last year?
By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
More than 50 million Americans couldn't afford to buy food at some point last year.
Stunning - and very sad.
Government data shows that children in nearly 4 million households didn't have enough to eat at some point last year.
And almost 17 million Americans were at the borderline of not having enough to eat.
This means they had to eat less because the food they bought didn't last and they didn't have money to buy more.
People suffering from this condition said they found themselves in this situation for a few days a month for seven months of the year. That's a long time to be hungry.
The number of Americans in this category shot up by more than 800,000 from 2010.
Those finding it hardest to buy the food they needed include women living alone, blacks and the poor.
With numbers like these it should come as no surprise that food stamp use is at record levels.
According to the government, 46.7 million people used food stamps in June. That's up more than 3% from a year ago.
In fact, food stamp use has stayed above 46 million all year long just as unemployment has stayed above 8%. That's some economic recovery.
And it's costing all of us... federal food stamp spending neared a record $76 billion last year.
Nonetheless, President Obama has pushed to grow the program - with the Department of Agriculture running radio ads encouraging more eligible people to enroll for food stamps.
Republicans want to cut back on food stamp spending.
Here’s my question to you: What does it mean if more than 50 million Americans couldn't afford to buy food last year?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Why is Congress so good at kicking the can down the road?
By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
They're at it again.
After a five-week vacation, Congress is back to doing nothing.
Lawmakers are back on the Hill - although most of them aren't really there. They're worried about Election Day, which is less than two months away.
If it's at all possible for the atmosphere in Washington to get any more partisan, now is the time.
And while the country is knee-deep in serious problems, Congress is focusing on politics. What else is new?
The only must-pass measure before them is a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid a government shutdown.
Aside from that, look for lots of meaningless hearings and votes on measures that both sides know won't pass: The Republicans want to roll back automatic defense cuts and repeal Obamacare. The Democrats want to vote on a jobs bill with no Republican support.
Also, expect a lot of these votes to echo themes we're hearing on the campaign trail from Messrs. Obama and Romney.
Pathetic is what they are. All this as the U.S. hangs off the edge of that fiscal cliff.
If Congress chooses to do nothing about the deep automatic spending cuts and the expiring Bush tax cuts coming soon, economists warn we likely will be headed for another recession.
And there's loads of other unfinished business too - like a farm bill, a veterans jobs bill, and a housing bill.
Urgent matters, to which the response is - ready? The Senate might leave town again for another seven-week recess as soon as September 21.
But be sure to vote to re-elect the incumbents in your state or congressional district, because they're doing such a great job.
Here’s my question to you: Why is Congress so good at kicking the can down the road?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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