More than 40 U.S. senators were poised to send a letter to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) urging him to bring to a vote a measure that would use savings from the food stamp program to expand the nutrition program for refugees. The measure, which would affect tens of thousand of Jews from the former Soviet Union, would cost an estimated $818 million over five years and would also restore food stamps to elderly, disabled and young legal immigrants. The Council of Jewish Federations launched a nationwide lobbying blitz to convince senators to sign the letter.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
