US lawmakers have narrowly voted to cut food stamp benefits from next year despite a veto threat from the White House and opposition by lobby groups
The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the bill by 217-200. But it has little chance in the Democratic-held Senate
The bill would save $39bn (£24bn) over a decade, but affect four million people on the programme
It comes a day after census data showed 15% of Americans live in poverty.
An estimated one in seven Americans - most of them children, elderly or disabled - receive food stamps.
Note
A bill passed in the Senate in June cut food stamps by $400m a year, one tenth of the House cuts.
The two chambers will have to negotiate the differences between the plans before any cuts come into effect.
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