This new attack against SNAP is a clear attempt to circumvent the bipartisan congressional decision included in the Farm Bill, and it could not be more out of touch with the realities of struggling American workers.
Overview
The Trump Administration has issued numerous regulatory attacks through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to drastically restrict SNAP, which would increase hunger and limit states’ flexibility to provide vital nutrition support to people who struggle to feed themselves and their families.
Most recently, the Administration proposed a policy change to “modernize” and “streamline” SNAP benefit calculations. In reality, the change will result in benefits being cut by $4.5 billion over 5 years. An estimated 20% of low-income households that use SNAP will lose $30 each month that they could have used to buy groceries. Once again, this proposed rule change will only increase hunger and hardship for millions of low-income families.
The Administration has also proposed the elimination of Categorical Eligibility, an important flexibility option which enables states to slightly raise SNAP income eligibility limits and relax restrictive asset tests so that working families with modest savings can still receive benefits. This rule change would increase hunger in this country, particularly for working families who are struggling to feed themselves and build for a better future.
States currently have the flexibility to waive harsh and arbitrary time limits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for communities that face high unemployment or insufficient jobs. USDA is trying to severely limit this critically important and common-sense flexibility that is utilized by the majority of states. MAZON sees this move as an attempt to circumvent congressional intent as laid out in the 2018 bipartisan Farm Bill reauthorization, and it completely ignores the realities of millions of Americans.
MAZON's Response
MAZON submitted formal comments to USDA about these rule change proposals, and we have created resources for community partners to help spread the word about how these proposals would increase hunger and hardship. Our materials emphasize how the proposals would impact vulnerable populations that have long been overlooked including seniors, currently-serving military families, veterans, Native Americans, and those in rural America. Read more:
- MAZON Comments to USDA on SNAP Benefit Calculations Proposed Rule Change (December 2019)
- MAZON Comments to USDA on SNAP Categorical Eligibility Proposed Rule Change (September 2019)
- Top-Line Talking Points about Proposed Changes to Eliminate Categorical Eligibility (September 2019)
- Background Information about Proposed Changes to Eliminate Categorical Eligibility (September 2019)
- MAZON Comments to USDA on SNAP Waiver Proposed Rule Change (March 2019)
- Talking Points on SNAP Waiver Proposed Rule Change (March 2019)
- MAZON Comments to USDA on Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for SNAP Waiver Changes (April 2018)
Infographic - SNAP (More from the MAZON Blog
- MAZON Denounces Trump Administration's Final Rule to Strip Nutrition Benefits for Nearly 700,000 Food Insecure Americans (December 4, 2019)
- MAZON Rebukes Trump Administration’s Third Sneak Attack on SNAP (October 3, 2019)
- MAZON Opposes Trump Administration’s Most Recent Attack on SNAP (July 23, 2019)
- MAZON: USDA Waiver Rule Change Proposal Ignores the Realities of Millions of Americans (February 1, 2019)
- MAZON Condemns USDA Waiver Rule Change Proposal (December 20, 2018)
