Just over a decade ago, when Congress was taking its periodic look at the food stamp program, House Republicans lined up with their legislative hatchets.

Their plan was to slice some $40 billion out of the program over 10 years, a benefit reduction of more than 5%. Among the promoters of the cut was Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican from the far north of California. He called the proposal a “modest change” and expressed wonderment that it faced opposition, including among Republican Senators.

“To think that we can’t retract just a little bit of the spending over something that’s grown exponentially in the last three or four years,” he said at an Agriculture Committee hearing.

A bit of context is needed here. First, the food stamp program — formally the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pr

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