700,000 At Risk Of Losing Food Stamp Benefits Under New Trump Administration Rule

Chile, #45 is at it again. If you happen to be one of the 36 million Americans who receives food stamp benefits, then you could be in a world of trouble courtesy of a new rule put in place by the Trump administration—that could put several Americans at risk of losing SNAP benefits and eligibility.

According to @USAToday, the Trump administration has officially strengthened the work requirements to qualify for the national food stamp program SNAP. Underneath the new rule, which was just finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, states are restricted from exempting certain “work-eligible adults” without dependents from the steady employment requirement in order to receive SNAP benefits.

The change officially goes into effect on April 1, 2020, but it does not apply to children and their parents, individuals over 50 years old, those with a disability or women who are pregnant. The new rule was initially proposed back in February and at the time the USDA estimated that over 750,000 would be impacted and dropped from the SNAP program—however that number has decreased just slightly now that things have been finalized.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said this about the new rule, in which he had a hand in approving:

“Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. 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.”

SNAP, is based on a formula that considers family size, citizenship status, household income and certain expenses before one can be eligible, it can apply to individuals as well as families.

Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?