By Karen Scott, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Health Equity Engagement Education and Research
During the week of 12/8/19 the Trump administration proposed cuts to the SNAP Program this opinion piece from the New York Times highlights the changes being made. The Food stamp program is proposing to discontinue a waiver rule that would see approximately 700,000 lose benefits and further exacerbate food insecurity. Effective April 2020, the rule that allows able bodied adults to receive food stamp benefits for more than 3 months in a 3-year period if recipients reside in an area where unemployment is over 10% will be discontinued. Instead, the waiver rule will apply to areas with 6% or less unemployment. In areas where unemployment is above 6%, food stamp recipients will be required to work or enroll in “work programs” to continue to receive assistance. The US Department of Agriculture estimates a budget savings of 4.2 Million. According to Sonny Purdue, USDA Secretary, the work requirement will ensure food stamp recipients move to self-sufficiency as opposed to government dependency.