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Trump admin announces work requirement reforms for food stamps

Trump admin announces work requirement reforms for food stamps

The following is an excerpt from Blaze Media’s Capitol Hill Brief email newsletter:

In yet another example of policy news that happened while the impeachment circus took up most of Washington’s attention, the Trump administration announced a new rule yesterday that tightens work requirements for able-bodied adults to receive SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.

“Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue stated on Wednesday. “Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work.”

Under current law, work-eligible adults without dependents under the age of 50 can only get three months of benefits over a three-year period if they don’t meet a work requirement of 20 hours per week. The new rule simply cuts back on states’ ability to exempt work-eligible people from the work requirements via waivers.

Nancy Pelosi said that the finalized rule “showcases the Trump Administration’s complete and devastating disregard for the health and well-being of millions of Americans.”

Republican lawmakers, in contrast, lauded the change.

“There is simply no reason today why, for example, an able-bodied adult male with no health problems and no dependents should not [be] employed – or at least contributing as a productive volunteer in his community,” said Republican Study Committee Chair Mike Johnson, R-La. “Our public policy in this country should always emphasize the virtue of hard work as a pathway out of poverty, while public assistance programs should be reserved only for those who are truly in need.”

“With unemployment at record lows, with 7 million available job openings, work opportunities are abundant,” said Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala. “Able-bodied adults should never be allowed to vote for a living rather than work for one.”


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