OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Republican Party is being criticized for saying on Facebook that giving people food stamps is akin to feeding animals in national parks.
The message posted Monday on the party's official Facebook page says 46 million Americans participate in the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program, or SNAP, commonly referred to as food stamps.
The post then says the National Park Service encourages people not to feed wild animals because they "will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves." The post concludes: "Thus ends today's lesson in irony."
Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Randy Brogdon didn't respond to a phone message seeking comment.
About 604,000 people receive SNAP benefits in Oklahoma, mostly the elderly, disabled and children.
A Department of Human Services spokeswoman called the post "shameful."