(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – The US Army has officially recommended that American soldiers who are struggling financially go on food stamps, among other suggestions included in official guidance on tackling sky-high inflation.
The Army inflation guidance authored by Sergeant Major Michael Grinston explains to service personnel how to enroll and take advantage of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as the food stamps program is formally known.
It directs Army soldiers to the SNAP phone number and website, noting that “service members and their families may be eligible” for the program that benefits lowest-income Americans.
“With inflation affecting everything from gas prices to groceries to rent, some Soldiers and their families are finding it harder to get by on the budgets they’ve set and used before,” Serg. Maj. Grinston wrote in the guidance, as cited by The New York Times.
The report points out that to be included in the food stamp program, American soldiers would have to apply through the state agencies which process the SNAP applications.
They need to go to the local offices of the agencies, and each state agency has its own criteria for eligibility.
Besides food stamps, it also offers suggestions to help its service members fight inflation.
“Soldiers of all ranks can seek guidance, assistance, and advice through the Army’s Financial Readiness Program,” Grinston wrote about the option that offers service personnel free financial counseling.
Another program mentioned in the document is Financial Frontline, which is described as a “one-stop shop” with teaching resources on managing debt, taxes, and financial literacy training.
“If you join the military and have a government student loan, the US government will pay it off in 10 years through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program,” the guidance noted further.
Yet another option that US Army soldiers are advised to use to cope with the high inflation is the Army Emergency Relief, a nonprofit that helps service members and their families by giving out grants and interest-free loans.
“Based on the Pentagon’s own data, 24% of enlisted personnel are food insecure. While food stamps are a Band-Aid, they’re also an admission that basic pay for enlisted troops and their families is too low – further exacerbated by unyielding inflation causing paychecks to shrink more,” Mackenzie Eaglen from the American Enterprise Institute told The Center Square.
“A better solution is to abandon rosy inflation assumptions, boost basic pay, and request a defense topline above inflation each year so forces and families have predictability and stability,” she added.
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Army suggests soldiers fighting inflation go on food stamps https://t.co/7rU4SmnDMT pic.twitter.com/os7np5CFwV
— New York Post (@nypost) September 13, 2022
