Christopher John Bosso

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Articles

Food stamps are turning 60. Here’s why we should celebrate.

Aug 28, 2024 | harvardpublichealth.org | Christopher John Bosso

Quick, name one of America’s most successful social welfare programs. (Vote in our poll.) You probably didn’t come up with food stamps—the program about to observe its 60th birthday. That’s a shame. I’ve spent years researching the history, political resilience, and impact of what is now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In an era of cynicism about government, SNAP stands out for doing its job.
Banning SNAP use on ‘bad’ foods won’t work — and could backfire

Jul 6, 2024 | thehill.com | Christopher John Bosso

Will banning use of food stamps on “bad” foods improve the health of low-income Americans? Some in Washington say they want to find out. Language in the recently released House Agricultural Appropriations bill for fiscal 2025 will authorize up to five states to pilot restrictions on the types of food available for purchase using benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
Eyes on the Farm Bill! | Christopher Bosso

Mar 10, 2024 | nybooks.com | Christopher John Bosso

Few pieces of federal legislation merit as much and receive as little attention as the Farm Bill.1 Most people who slog through this five-hundred-page-document are stunned by its breadth and complexity. Its many provisions deal with the production of a vast range of food commodities, some well-known (cotton, feed corn, beef, and dairy) and others more obscure (mung beans, sorghum, oilseeds, and hemp).
The Freedom Caucus Is Coming for SNAP

Jan 4, 2024 | thenation.com | Christopher John Bosso

The so-called Freedom Caucus, the hard-right faction of congressmembers who are willing to shut down the government to get deep spending cuts, has long had it in for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. In fact, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reluctance to abrogate his debt-ceiling deal with President Biden and demand more cuts in SNAP fed into his ouster by the nihilist faction he once led.
Our 2023 Food and Farming Holiday Book Gift Guide

Dec 5, 2023 | civileats.com | José Andrés |Christopher John Bosso |Honor Eldridge |Kim Foster

A condensed version of this gift guide was first sent to Civil Eats members in The Deep Dish newsletter. Become a member today and you’ll get the next issue in your inbox, as well as a number of other benefits. At Civil Eats, we immerse ourselves in food and agriculture books throughout the year to deepen our knowledge, stay up to date, and produce robust coverage of the books making an impact in the food and ag space.
The Woman Behind SNAP: Leonor Sullivan's Legacy Continues

Nov 14, 2023 | msmagazine.com | Christopher John Bosso

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the nation’s most important food assistance programs for low-income Americans, and one of its most important anti-poverty measures. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, SNAP supplemented the food purchasing power of some 40 million Americans, at a cost of about $60 billion a year.
Let us Now Praise the Food Stamp Plan

Oct 13, 2023 | ucpress.edu | Christopher John Bosso

By Christopher Bosso, author of Why SNAP Works: A Political History—and Defense—of the Food Stamp ProgramMy new book, Why SNAP Works: A Political History—and Defense—of the Food Stamp Program, makes a strong case for why Americans should appreciate the genius of and continue to support the nation’s most important anti-hunger effort: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
SNAP Judgment | Christopher Bosso

Sep 11, 2023 | thebaffler.com | Christopher John Bosso |Fady Joudah

Few watching this spring’s face-off over the federal debt limit were surprised that House Republican hostage-takers fixated on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Members of the so-called Freedom Caucus were keen to slash SNAP eligibility and spending by expanding work requirements on able-bodied adults, lest the government continue letting the “undeserving” poor skirt by on the taxpayer’s dime.
Why SNAP Works

Jun 3, 2023 | ucpress.edu | Christopher John Bosso

The first book to tell the whole story of SNAP and to explain why all Americans should support it. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the nation’s largest government effort for helping low-income Americans obtain an adequate diet. How did SNAP, formerly the food stamp program, evolve from a Depression-era effort to use up surplus goods into America’s foundational food assistance program? And how does SNAP survive?