New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-NY)
fight to preserve funding for food stamps in the farm bill currently being hammered out in the Senate drew an attack from Sen.
Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Wednesday afternoon:
"Under this reasoning, we ought to increase the food stamp program 10 times," Sessions said with incredulity. "Why not? We're going to get more money back. Somehow it's going to create more stimulus, and it's going to bring in more money for the treasury and make the economy grow. Why don't we just pay for your clothes, pay for your shoes, pay for your housing?"
Sessions continued—and bear in mind he's talking about feeding the poor here—"Is that a moral vision for the United States of America, just to see how many people we can place in a situation where they're dependent on the federal government for their food?" As if food stamps are preventing people from getting food via unicorn delivery. No, actually, as if people like to be poor because that way they get an average of less than $4.50 a day in nutritional support from the government. And who doesn't enjoy trying to feed their kids on that kind of money?
Speaking to Al Sharpton on Thursday evening, Gillibrand basically took the "Hang on, Jeff Sessions wants to talk about morals?" approach, saying:
"In Matthew 25, the first question Christ asks on Judgement Day is, 'Did you feed the poor?'" Gillibrand said, referring to the first book of the New Testament. "It's unacceptable that we have Republican advocates who are saying it's immoral to support food stamps."
That may be biblical morality, but it's not the morality of today's congressional Republicans. Or maybe Sessions thinks Christ asks "did you feed the poor" in hopes of a negative answer?
