The Department of Agriculture took the first step toward tightening work requirements for food stamps Thursday, inviting public comment on how the program could encourage self-sufficiency for able-bodied adults.
President Trump and Republicans all around the country have focused on more restrictive food stamp work requirements as a key part of a broader “welfare reform” effort. Although the current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program already includes work requirements, conservatives blame former President Barack Obama for loosening the rules during the recession, resulting in more people receiving benefits even after the economy has improved.
“Long-term dependency has never been part of the American dream,” Secretary Sonny Perdue said. “USDA’s goal is to move individuals and families from SNAP back to the workforce as the best long-term solution to poverty.”
Able-bodied, childless adults face time limits for food stamps, but the Obama administration approved waivers for many states wracked by unemployment to temporarily lift parts of those restrictions during the financial crisis. Conservatives have encouraged the Trump administration to reverse those decisions, arguing that they have increased dependency.
This month, the USDA also proposed replacing a portion of food stamp benefits with a box of food prepared by the government for recipients. That idea was included in Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget and panned by Democrats.
About 42 million people received SNAP benefits last year, according to the USDA, at a total cost to the federal government of more than $68 billion, making the program one of the biggest components of the federal safety net.
The agency’s official notice of a proposed rulemaking and request for comment will be published Friday.
