June 14, 2012 11:09AM 

# Food Stamp Republicans 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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Newt Gingrich had fun calling President Obama the “food stamp president,” but many Republicans are just as responsible for the exploding costs of this welfare state program.

The chart shows that federal outlays for food stamps (officially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) roughly doubled under President Bush and then doubled again under President Obama.

![Media Name: 201206_blog_edwards141.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/wp-content/uploads/201206_blog_edwards141.jpg?itok=WpFe9QH6) 

Despite the quadrupling of food stamp spending, [13 Republicans in the Senate yesterday](http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00120)—including supposed conservatives Bob Corker and Rob Portman—joined Democrats to [defeat reforms to the program](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77391.html) sponsored by [Senator Rand Paul](http://www.randpaul2010.com/2012/06/senator-paul-statement-on-block-granting-food-stamps/).

(More on food stamps [here](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/food-subsidies), [here](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/food-stamps-campus), and [here](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/food-stamp-price-tag-rising)).

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Department of Agriculture](https://www.cato.org/department-agriculture), [Downsizing Government](https://www.cato.org/downsizing-government) 

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