House Votes to Cut Food Aid, But Not Farm Subsidies
By: Becky Bracken
Published: June 17, 2011

The belt tightening in Washington continues on the backs of the poor, hungry and vulnerable. The House passed a spending bill that decimates food aid both domestically and internationally, but keeps farm subsidies completely in tact. 
The bill cuts food aid for poor women and their babies by $868 million, or 13 percent, and slashes the budget for emergency food aid internationally by a full one-third. And forget about improving food safety. The Food and Drug Administration's budget in this bill is cut by more than 12 percent. 
But money-saving measures like lowering the maximum amount of farm subsidies available per farmer were rejected. 
Republicans also voted to undo rules passed to improve school lunches, arguing they are too costly. 
Too bad poor women, school kids and starving people abroad don't have lobbyists.