It's a cute idea, really. A couple of dozen Democratic lawmakers enter to protest looming cuts to the food stamp program by going to the grocery store, elbow-to-elbow with real Americans, and spending $30 for a week's worth of food. Not only will it shame Republicans into eliminating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it allows the participants the opportunity to show that they, like their poorly dressed fellow shoppers, know what it's like to struggle. It's like a hunger strike, except not.
The SNAP challenge, as it's being called, started this morning, and Fort Worth Representative Marc Veasey is already having a rough go, as he noted on Facebook.
This morning I started out my #SNAPchallenge with a hot dog at home. Had to say no to the food at my first meeting but the delicious smells left me very hungry. Decided to go ahead and eat my plum, guess I won't have any other snacks for the day.
Even worse, the plum was so terrible that Veasey had a seizure. (At least that's what we think is happening in the picture, which Domingo Garcia is already Photoshopping into a political ad). And he's still got six and a half long days to go.
We take it back. This is exactly like a hunger strike.
(h/t Think Progress)
