If states accommodate reduced funding by tightening eligibility standards, they would have to disqualify 11 million-12 million people, says CBPP. If they chose to cut benefit levels across the board, the average benefit per person would drop by $55 a month. At present, benefits are projected to average roughly $160 a month during that period (2021-25) by the Congressional Budget Office. “States would be left to decide whose benefits to reduce or terminate. They would have no good choice,” says CBPP.
A third way to achieve the cuts would be to reduce the income threshold for food stamps. If states took that route, the income limit would be set at 60 percent of the poverty level, now about $12,050 for a family of three. “This approach would eliminate eligibility for many working families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities,’ says CBPP.
The resolution approved by the House Budget Committee directs the Agriculture Committee to find $1 billion in budget savings over the next decade from USDA programs. The Budget Committee says a block grant will give states the flexibility to run programs more in tune with local needs. A USDA report says spending on public-nutrition programs dropped by 5 percent in the fiscal year ending last Sept. 30.
The House Rules Committee set the terms on Monday for floor debate of the budget resolution, including consideration of an amendment by Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts that would prevent conversion of food stamps into a block grant. Military funding is likely to dominate debate.
To read the House Budget Committee proposal and supplemental committee documents, click here.