Sen. Chris Murphy said on Facebook and Twitter on Monday that he would take on the “SNAP Challenge” and eat only things purchased with food stamp money for one week.
The SNAP benefit for Connecticut people registered in the program is $4.80 on average each day, thus the newly elected Democrat from Connecticut will not go above that amount until Friday.
Murphy’s prank comes as the Senate is this week debating a farm bill that would reduce food stamps by $4.1 billion over the following ten years.
Although not the first politician to try the experiment, Newark Mayor Cory Booker made it popular last December when he posted pictures of most of his meals to social media and appeared on cable news to discuss the challenge and his subsequent “caffeine withdrawal,” which he joked would require him to be “hospitalized for.”
Murphy is currently having difficulties as well.
On Monday, I had sporadic “hunger pains” and ate a bagel without cream cheese. Tuesday’s breakfast was merely a banana.
Following a conversation on Twitter about “the role the government should play in subsidizing school breakfast and lunch programs,” Mayor Booker decided to take on the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, according to The Star-Ledger.
His aim is to survive for a week on the average $4 per day that New Jersey food stamp recipients receive.
As a frequent tweeter, Booker will undoubtedly share updates on his experience. He’s previously tweeted a picture of his weekly supermarket receipt. According to The Star-Ledger, he spent $29.78, largely on fruits, some veggies, and “plenty of beans.”
On Linked In, Booker states:
Most people do the challenge for a week and learn that they have to make hard choices about what food to buy. They also learn how hard it is to buy healthy food and keep their health in good shape. Although one week of living on a SNAP budget cannot begin to compare to the struggles that low-income families face every week and month, it does provide participants with a new perspective and a deeper understanding.
The challenge is sponsored by the Food, Research, & Action Center (FRAC.)
For the past ten years, FRAC has encouraged and supported SNAP Challenges in an effort to raise awareness among the general public and influential figures of the critical role that SNAP plays in reducing hunger and poverty, as well as the need to strengthen the program so that its beneficiaries can afford enough food for their health and well-being.
After organizations in Wichita, Kansas, the Challenge first attracted attention in 2006 when it was hosted by FRAC friends in Philadelphia.
When four members of Congress — James McGovern (D-Mass. ), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo. ), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) — vowed to spend a week on the typical SNAP budget and write about their experiences, the Challenge gained national attention.
Since then, hundreds, if not thousands of people have accepted the challenge, including members of Congress, governors, state legislators, mayors, famous persons, religious and community leaders, journalists, and regular people.
