Besides the $180 billion in cuts to the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program proposed in President Trump’s budget package, the administration is proceeding with regulations that would reduce SNAP enrollment and cut spending by $50 billion over 10 years, said the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities on Tuesday. The think tank said “the administration’s total plan for cutting SNAP (is) about $230 billion over 10 years compared to current policies.”
“Policymakers should instead strengthen SNAP benefits and help SNAP reach more households struggling to afford adequate food,” said the center in an analysis. The centerpiece of the administration package was the twice-rejected “Harvest Box” of government-purchased food for 90 percent of SNAP recipients. The White House also proposed broader and more stringent work requirements for able-bodied adults aged 18 to 65 along with capping benefits for large households at the level of a family of six and eliminating nutrition education grants, “marking a departure from the programs core purpose of improving nutrition among low-income households,” said the Center on Budget.
In addition to the budget proposals, the administration is proceeding with three regulations that would tighten eligibility rules. They include limits on state authority to waive the usual limit of 90 days of SNAP benefits to able-bodied adults without dependents, use of so-called categorical eligibility, which allows states to modify asset tests and income limits so people who receive social services can be considered for SNAP, and eliminating state flexibility in setting “standard utility allowances” used to calculate SNAP benefits.
The administration says the regulations would re-assert federal control over SNAP and simplify its operation. Provisions such as stricter work requirements will prod recipients to move to fuller employment and up the wage ladder, it says. “A growing economy produces more jobs, yet our safety net programs as currently structured are not doing enough to move low-income families from welfare to sustained independence,” said the USDA when the budget package was released on February 10.