The Trump administration's budget blueprint for fiscal 2018 has the U.S. Department of Agriculture bracing for "significant" cuts to rural development, food stamps and crop insurance programs.
"I don't think there's any reason to try to sugar coat this," said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue in a conference call with reporters to discuss the administration's fiscal 2018 budget proposal for the agency. "I've communicated with our team at USDA and just said 'look, when times are tough we just dig down and do more' — and that's what we will do here."
The White House also is proposing legislation to tighten eligibility on food assistance programs for the poor. More than 43 million Americans are already getting monthly food stamp benefits and the federal cuts are likely to affect millions nationally.
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