The governors of Connecticut and New York state say they will put more money into a program that helps poor people pay utility bills so they won’t see a reduction in food stamp benefits. Their move is a response to the major reform in the food stamp program in the 2014 farm bill. It says to receive food stamps under a provision aimed at utility costs, recipients have to receive at least $20 a year in state utility assistance.
Together, the two states account for roughly 350,000 of the estimated 850,000 households at risk of reduced benefits.
“Those are the only two states I’m aware of,” AgSec Vilsack told reporters on Wednesday, when asked about action to prevent the reductions.
Until now, $1 in Low Income Heating Assistance Program benefits would trigger additional food stamp assistance. The $8 bln reduction over a decade in nutrition spending amounts to half of the total savings in the new farm policy law, says CBO. Some 850,000 households in 15 states would lose $90 a month, it was estimated.
The CT Mirror said Connecticut Gov Dannell Malloy announced on Monday he would shift an $1.4 mln into LIHEAP; Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes said the funding “will preserve approximately $66.6 million annually” in food stamps for 50,000 households.
On Tuesday, New York Gov Andrew Cuomo’s office announced “New York State is taking steps to preserve approximately $457 million a year in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that would otherwise be cut by the recently enacted federal Farm Bill. The bill was slated to cut SNAP benefits an average of $127 per month for affected households in New York, including those that live in government subsidized housing or in certain congregate care settings. This action by the State will save benefits for nearly 300,000 households in New York.”