Growls

Kudus to Caroline May and the Daily Caller for breaking the story today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is "partnering with Mexico to boost food stamp participation." Here are the details:

"The Mexican government has been working with the United States Department of Agriculture to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps.

"USDA has an agreement with Mexico to promote American food assistance programs, including food stamps, among Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals and migrant communities in America.

“USDA and the government of Mexico have entered into a partnership to help educate eligible Mexican nationals living in the United States about available nutrition assistance,” the USDA explains in a brief paragraph on their “Reaching Low-Income Hispanics With Nutrition Assistance” web page. “Mexico will help disseminate this information through its embassy and network of approximately 50 consular offices.”

"The partnership — which was signed by former USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista in 2004 — sees to it that the Mexican Embassy and Mexican consulates in America provide USDA nutrition assistance program information to Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals working in America and migrant communities in America. The information is specifically focused on eligibility criteria and access.

"The goal, for USDA, is to get rid of what they see as enrollment obstacles and increase access among potentially eligible populations by working with arms of the Mexican government in America. Benefits are not guaranteed or provided under the program — the purpose is outreach and education."

But don't worry, the Daily Caller concludes, saying, " When asked for details and to elaborate on the program, USDA stressed it was established in 2004 and not meant for illegal immigrants." Besides, we're only borrowing 40 cents of the money needed to pay for these extra food stamp benefits. Sheesh!

Additional resources:

• Fox News this evening is reporting that: "Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, raised concerns about the program in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack -- one week after he complained about a Spanish-language ad campaign encouraging residents to go on food stamps."

• For the Washington Examiner, Joel Gehrke reports that "USDA gets secretative about Mexican food stamp partnership."

• At Power Line today, John Hinderaker opines, "The Obama administration’s push to expand the food stamp program is of a piece with its casual elimination of welfare work requirements. The more people dependent on government, the better. And these actions dovetail with Obama’s belief that those who prosper in America didn’t really build their businesses, but rather succeeded, whether they realize it or not, through government largesse and government sufferance. Since government help is the sine qua non, why should it be withheld from anyone? Like the grace of God, it cannot be earned but can only be bestowed. Thus does Barack Obama’s political philosophy pervade every aspect of his administration."

• Finally, at Human Events, John Hayward writes, "It’s curious that this Administration has been willing to work so closely with the Mexican government on expanding food stamp dependency in the United States, but couldn’t be bothered to notify Mexican authorities of a deadly gun-running program that killed over 300 of its citizens."