POSTED: Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 5:24pm
UPDATED: Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 5:27pm
Lawmakers in Washington are also cutting food stamp benefits at a time when El Pasoans need them the most.
El Paso representative Silvestre Reyes blames it on a congress that is "robbing Peter to pay Paul."
Some blame it on that big jobs bill that just passed congress - it has to be paid for somehow. And part of the money is coming from reduced food stamp benefits.
As we reported Wednesday night, the cuts are not coming at a good time.
One El Paso grocery store we visited said 70% of its customers pay with food stamps.
While many think El Paso is largely immune from the economic downturn, the numbers tell a different story.
The number of food stamp recipients has jumped by 25,000 in El Paso in the past 2 years. 160,000 people a month now get the welfare benefit.
In a letter to his colleagues in the U.S. House, Congressman Reyes urged them to forestall any more cuts in food stamp benefits.