Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico is a federal assistance nutritional program provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) solely to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. It provides over $1.5 billion in supplemental economic resources to help just over 1 million impoverished residents cope with their nutritional needs. Since its inception in 1982, the program has been providing low-income families living in Puerto Rico with cash benefits used for food purchases. It is a collaborative effort between the USDA and the island's government, where the former provides annual federal appropriations for the Puerto Rico government to distribute individually among eligible participants. Although the methods of providing such benefits have changed over the years, the program's basic objective of helping low-income families meet their nutritional needs has remained constant. It has, however, been controversial throughout its existence. Federal reviews and assessments have revealed deficiencies in its operations and management, requiring the implementation of various changes, including increased scrutiny. It has also attracted both criticism and advocacy from Puerto Rico and the United States over its effectiveness in helping poor families and its impact on Puerto Rico's social classes and economy.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1279: The Song Dynasty in Imperial China ended with a victory by the Yuan Dynasty at the Battle of Yamen off the coast of Xinhui, Guangdong Province. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty)
1687: The search for the mouth of the Mississippi River led by French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ended with a mutiny and his murder in present-day Texas.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Robert_Cavelier%2C_Sieur_de_La_Salle)
1915: Pluto was photographed for the first time, 15 years before it was eventually discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto)
1941: The Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-African American unit of the United States Army Air Corps, was activated. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen)
1978: In response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the United Nations called on Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_425)
1982: Argentine forces led by Alfredo Astiz occupied South Georgia, precipitating the Falklands War against the United Kingdom.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands)
_____________________ Wiktionary's Word of the day:
vaunt: To speak boastfully. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vaunt)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
Do what thy manhood bids thee do, from none but self expect applause; He noblest lives and noblest dies who makes and keeps his self-made laws. -- Sir Richard Francis Burton (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton)