With the debate on the debt limit over, Democrats heading four Senate committees urged the Biden administration to act swiftly to remove a time limit on food stamps to able-bodied veterans, homeless people and young adults who “aged out” of foster care. The debt bill waived the time limit on those groups at the same time it lengthened the age range of people who must work at least 80 hours a month or be limited to 90 days of SNAP benefits in a three-year period.
“SNAP is a lifeline for low-income households across the country, providing an average of just $6.10 per person per day to buy food,” wrote the senators to Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim McDonough, Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “It is vital your agencies leverage existing authorities to limit administrative challenges and promote equitable implementation of these provisions across all SNAP state agencies.”
According to a CBO estimate, SNAP enrollment will rise marginally with the new exemptions, notwithstanding the decision to apply the time limit, also called a work requirement, to able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) ages 18-55. Until now, the limit covered ABAWDs 18-50 years old.
Some 750,000 older people would be at risk of losing SNAP benefits under the new age range, said the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. California, Illinois, New York, Florida and Texas would be hit the hardest. Like the senators, the think tank said the government “would need to ensure that states implement the exemptions to maximize their effectiveness and minimize the burdens on individuals and state agencies to collect documentation.” While the federal government funds SNAP, state welfare agencies administer the program.
The debt limit bill, signed over the weekend by President Biden, gave states 90 days to put the new exemptions into effect.
“Guidance issued to states from your agencies should ensure related policies are implemented consistently across all states to equitably reach the highest number of eligible participants, reduce administrative and paperwork burdens on both state agencies and SNAP participants, and ensure participants are adequately screened for exemptions prior to losing access to benefits,” wrote Finance chairman Ron Wyden, Banking chairman Sherrod Brown, Veterans Affairs chairman Jon Tester and Agriculture Secretary Debbie Stabenow.
Brown and Tester are up for re-election in 2024. Stabenow has announced she will retire at the end of 2024.
At latest count, 42.5 million people receive food stamps.
To read the senators’ letter, click here.