SOUTH GEORGIA (WTXL)- The Trump administration wants to change how Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program recipients get food.
The America's Harvest Food Box was proposed this month as part of the 2019 federal budget.
According to the proposal, recipients would receive a box of packaged food instead of financial aid, known as food stamps.
Advocates argue the proposal is cost effective and enhances the integrity of the program.
The Trump administration has proposed major changes to folks who receive food assistance, those changes are similar to a federal senior food box program operated by a south Georgia food bank.
Nearly 1.5 million Georgians could soon see a big change in their SNAP benefits if the new America's Harvest Box is approved.
President Trump's administration rolled out what they are calling a bold, innovative, approach to providing food to people who need assistance feeding themselves and their families.
Under this proposal, households receiving $90 per month or more in benefits will receive a package of food that looks like this.
Leaders in Washington say it will be 100 percent US grown and produced food. This proposal is expected to save $129 billion dollars over the next ten years.
Critics in Washington are concerned about the logistics of operating such a large scale effort of packing, shipping, or distributing these boxes that could weigh close to 30 pounds.
Second Harvest of South Georgia runs a similar operation for their Senior Food Boxes which is also a federal program.
With ten people working it takes them with an average of 200 hours per month to pack around 1200 boxes, that does not include the time needed to unload the food, and distribute the packages.
President Trump's budget needs to get at least 60 votes in the Senate to pass.
