The US Senate passed legislation yesterday that would cut billions in funding from the federal food stamp program, at a time when the number of Americans using food stamps is at an all time high. The funding will instead be used to help states avoid teacher layoffs. This action at the federal level is in some ways reminiscent of budget debates in the Kansas legislature in recent years, where legislators have been divided over spending reductions for social services versus reductions for public education, which constitutes over half of the state budget.