Food stamp cuts start Friday

More than 47 million Americans rely on food stamps just to get by. But starting Friday, they will notice a good chunk of their benefits have been wiped out, just as the holiday season rolls in.

It's partly because of a vote Congress took three years ago, which reversed a temporary increase in benefits that was put in place at the height of the recession.

Since 2008, the number of people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP, has increased dramatically; more than 21 million people have been added to the program.

One in four of all U.S. children live in a home that gets food stamps, as do more than 900,000 veterans.

Republicans largely voted against extending the increase in food stamp benefits. But here's an interesting twist – the White House is also to blame for some of the program cuts. President Barack Obama borrowed money from "SNAP" to pay for a portion of the first lady's anti-obesity campaign. And he was, perhaps naively, counting on Congress to refund the money he took away.

CNN's Rosa Flores reports.