 A group of homeless men and women receive meals from volunteers on May 18 in Morgantown, West Virginia. West Virginia is one of the nation's poorest states where nearly one in five struggled to afford basic necessities in 2015. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) By Caitlin Dewey and Tracy Jan For a period last year after he lost his food stamps, Tim Keefe, an out-of-work and homeless Navy veteran, used his military training to catch, skin and eat squirrels, roasting the animals over an open fire outside the tent he pitched in frigid Augusta, Maine. The new additions to Keefe's diet resulted from a decision by state authorities to tighten work requirements for recipients of the social safety net — forcing the 49-year-old, who lost his job at a farm equipment factory because of an injury, off the food stamp rolls. "I was eating what I could find, and borrowed from friends and strangers," Keefe said in testimony to the Maine legislature. "There were many times ... when I would go two or even three days without food. If one was inclined to lose a lot of weight, I could recommend this diet wholeheartedly." Now the Trump administration in its first major budget proposal has proposed more stringent work requirements — similar to those in effect in Maine and other states — to limit eligibility for food stamps and a host of other benefits as part of sweeping cuts to anti-poverty programs. Read the rest on Wonkblog.
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