Trump administration moves to remove 700,000 people from food stamps

By Tom Polansek

 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaks during an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump with workers on "Cutting the Red Tape, Unleashing Economic Freedom" in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it will make it harder for states to keep residents in the U.S. food stamp program in a move that is projected to end benefits for nearly 700,000 people

 

President Donald Trump has argued that many Americans receiving food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, do not need it given the strong economy and low unemployment. The program provides free food to 36 million Americans.

 

The administration has now finalized a rule that tightens guidelines on when and where states can waive limits on how long certain residents can receive benefits. The changes will move more "able-bodied" adults into the workplace, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.

 

"States are seeking waivers for wide swaths of their population, and millions of people who could work are continuing to receive SNAP benefits," he told reporters.

 

The United States generally limits the amount of time that adults ages 18-49, who do not have dependents or a disability, can receive food stamps to three months in a 36-month period, unless they meet certain work requirements.

 

States can apply for waivers to this time limit due to tough economic conditions. However, counties with an unemployment rate as low as 2.5% have been included in waived areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP.

 

The agency is stiffening guidelines defining where recipients can reside to be eligible for waivers and standards for demonstrating whether an area has enough jobs to justify a waiver.

 

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% in October.

 

"We need everyone who can work to work," Perdue said.

 

But critics say the moves will hurt poor Americans.

 

"This is an unacceptable escalation of the administration's war on working families, and it comes during a time when too many are forced to stretch already-thin budgets to make ends meet," said U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat.

 

The administration has sought to tighten requirements for food stamps without congressional approval after Congress blocked a Trump-backed effort to pass new restrictions through the Farm Bill last year.

 

The latest rule will take effect next year and save the U.S. government $5.5 billion over five years by removing about 688,000 people from food stamps, said Brandon Lipps, a USDA deputy undersecretary.

 

"For those impacted it will mean less nutritious meals, or meals that are skipped altogether," said Cassie Ramos, policy associate for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-05

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43 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Cutting the Red Tape, Unleashing Economic Freedom"

Now that's Orwellian - poor is the new rich

Absolutely reprehensible. The U.S. is the wealthiest nation in the written history of the planet. OK, let's say some of those people are cheating - it's only food firchrissake! This whole program merely amounts to an accounting rounding error. Cut the F-35 debacle - that alone accounts for trillion$ - THAT'S no rounding error.

Hummmm let’s see wreck healthcare check,tax break for the rich check,lock up immigrants kids check,starve the poor check!merry Christmas from the trumps!

Now lets see the Trump lower the subsidies,  given out by the US Department of Agriculture,  that pay for those food stamps 

 

But like tariffs, Trump thinks someone else is paying 

 

 https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article322811/Which-costs-more-Food-stamps-or-farm-subsidies.html

Quote

So overall spending on food stamps is much higher than farm subsidies. But on a per-person basis, farmers come out ahead.

 

This is going to be a fun thread.  It is hard to imagine a person who has never had to be responsible for providing for his own welfare being asked to actually be productive and contribute his share of talents to the community.

 

What is the world coming to?  That Trump!

Poverty and obesity are becoming synonymous in the USA.

Maybe that's why he wants to do it.

23 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

This is going to be a fun thread.  It is hard to imagine a person who has never had to be responsible for providing for his own welfare being asked to actually be productive and contribute his share of talents to the community.

 

What is the world coming to?  That Trump!

There will always be people less fortunate than others. 

 

Society is judged by how it treats its poor. So this is a reprehensible act.

 

But as long as the rich get richer its ok for some.

 

 

Why do you need a government program at all? Where I'm from in Canada, food "waste" is collected by volunteers/ex-prisoners and given for free. 

So some of the people who voted Trump into the Presidency are now literally getting kicked in the guts by him.

52 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

This is going to be a fun thread.  It is hard to imagine a person who has never had to be responsible for providing for his own welfare being asked to actually be productive and contribute his share of talents to the community.

 

What is the world coming to?  That Trump!

Good question. Perhaps it could be addressed by ensuring billionaires who pay no tax, thanks to platoons of accountants and lawyers, actually contribute to the community as well.

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

So some of the people who voted Trump into the Presidency are now literally getting kicked in the guts by him.

They don't seem to be located in swing states...

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2015/01/17/cheat-sheet-states-with-most-food-stamps/21877399/

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Hummmm let’s see wreck healthcare check,tax break for the rich check,lock up immigrants kids check,starve the poor check!merry Christmas from the trumps!

Promises made, promises kept.... check!

6 minutes ago, jany123 said:

Promises made, promises kept.... check!

Hows obamacare repeal and replace on the first for going.

 

Hows the big beautiful wall mexico is paying for going.

 

Hows the promise to show his taxes going, even after a court orders it hes fighting tooth and nail. Odf for someone who said he would do it.

 

Hows the promise to be so busy he cant play golf going.

 

Like shooting fish in a barrell.

5 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

This is going to be a fun thread.  It is hard to imagine a person who has never had to be responsible for providing for his own welfare being asked to actually be productive and contribute his share of talents to the community.

 

What is the world coming to?  That Trump!

2017 article 

"But analysts say that while reinstating work requirements has contributed to the drop in program participation, so has the better economy, since fewer people are in need. Data show that the share of the U.S. population participating in SNAP tracks with the share at or below the poverty line. So the lower number of recipients, says Melissa Boteach, vice president for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit, is "a good thing if more people are finding jobs and finding higher wages".

 

https://www.newsweek.com/people-food-stamps-snap-decline-participation-640500

 

The program was not meant to supplement a families food supply for life,especially if you don't want to participate in its requirements(working to earn it).

This is election year politics. He likes to brag about how many people are no longer on snap compared to the Obama. He fails to mention kicking out people that need it. 

7 hours ago, J Town said:

Absolutely reprehensible. The U.S. is the wealthiest nation in the written history of the planet. OK, let's say some of those people are cheating - it's only food firchrissake! This whole program merely amounts to an accounting rounding error. Cut the F-35 debacle - that alone accounts for trillion$ - THAT'S no rounding error.

Welfare was never intended to be a career position. It was rife with fraud and waste after obama gave away the farm. Now it's time to be responsible. Plenty of jobs.

With 2nd and even 3rd generations on food stamps—it’s time to take a fresh look at qualification requirements.

Times are tough when able bodied, entitled couch potatoes are forced to give up their meal tickets (after many, many years) and actually go out and get a job.  Those that can work, should work (if they want to eat).  Those who cannot work, or are disabled, should (and will) be cared for. 

 

America is turning into a country full of lazy, entitled, spoiled rotten freeloaders and it's about time they get a little motivating kick in the ass!

 

8 hours ago, J Town said:

Absolutely reprehensible. The U.S. is the wealthiest nation in the written history of the planet. OK, let's say some of those people are cheating - it's only food firchrissake! This whole program merely amounts to an accounting rounding error. Cut the F-35 debacle - that alone accounts for trillion$ - THAT'S no rounding error.

It's quite well known that under Islamic law one can have one's hand cut off for stealing. However, there is one exception:

 

Food

 

(As long as someone is in genuine need, I would think).

What kind of societies do we live in if people are going hungry? Especially kids?!???? And especially the richest (largely "Christian") society in the world.

8 hours ago, Tug said:

Hummmm let’s see wreck healthcare check,tax break for the rich check,lock up immigrants kids check,starve the poor check!merry Christmas from the trumps!

I can donate you a box of tissues 

8 hours ago, Tug said:

Hummmm let’s see wreck healthcare check,tax break for the rich check,lock up immigrants kids check,starve the poor check!merry Christmas from the trumps!

<deleted>.....Check

>Welfare was never intended to be a career position. It was rife with fraud and waste after obama gave away the farm. Now it's time to be responsible. Plenty of jobs.

 

Eh? I don't understand.

Where is your hysterical, angry, Orange Man Bad rant. 
Usually posters on TV just shriek fascist racist, whenever Trump's name is mentioned

1.2 million getting the proposed cuts are elderly. Heartless!

3 hours ago, jany123 said:

Promises made, promises kept.... check!

Agree, he told everyone he was going to do theses things ... and more.  So he was voted in on these promises.  It’s rare as hens teeth that a politician follows through campaign promises.  I think it’s all wrong minded.  That said, these and other things (eg dealing with China, upping investment in the military etc) are why he was elected.  So check, check stop complaining and let the man destroy the land of the free and home of the brave.  They have had it too good for too long.

1 hour ago, toast1 said:

>Welfare was never intended to be a career position. It was rife with fraud and waste after obama gave away the farm. Now it's time to be responsible. Plenty of jobs.

 

Eh? I don't understand.

Where is your hysterical, angry, Orange Man Bad rant. 
Usually posters on TV just shriek fascist racist, whenever Trump's name is mentioned

Plenty of jobs.

The US is probably just like the UK, it's possible to have no work and no money/income, and be classified as being "employed".

 

Their "record low unemployment" was achieved simply by changing the definition of what employment is.

In my youth, I had many friends who received food stamps. None of them truly "needed" them. Many of them were better off than I was. 
 

5 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

In my youth, I had many friends who received food stamps. None of them truly "needed" them. Many of them were better off than I was. 
 

Apparently lotsa people who work at Walmart qualify for food stamps, and they work for one of the wealthiest families in the world, <deleted>'s that all about.

If you listen to The Orange One, or the Tories in the UK, they'll try & tell you that there's no such thing as poverty.

2 hours ago, MAGA 2020 said:

I can donate you a box of tissues 

Dont forget to ask for a quid pro quo.

28 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

Agree, he told everyone he was going to do theses things ... and more.  So he was voted in on these promises.  It’s rare as hens teeth that a politician follows through campaign promises.  I think it’s all wrong minded.  That said, these and other things (eg dealing with China, upping investment in the military etc) are why he was elected.  So check, check stop complaining and let the man destroy the land of the free and home of the brave.  They have had it too good for too long.

Upping investment in the military. A recent estimate says that Iraq & Afghanistan cost the US taxpayer $6.3 trillion, about one third of the national debt.

 

Shoulda listened to Eisenhower!