A new rule for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, could cause about 688,000 people to lose SNAP benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the rule change, which will go into effect in April, will save $5.5 billion during its first five years.
This change, which followed an executive order from President Donald Trump, is one in a trio of new rules that the Urban Institute estimates will cause 3.7 million fewer people to access food stamps each month.
Will the new rule impact families with children?
Some liberal politicians, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), suggested last week that the new rule will cause children to lose SNAP benefits.
But this particular rule will only impact benefits for 18 to 49-year-olds without children or disabilities.
Will this rule hurt families heading into the Christmas season?
No, because this rule doesn’t impact families with children, and it won’t go into effect until April.
Does the rule change strengthen work requirements for SNAP recipients?
Yes, but maybe not in the way you’re thinking. Here’s how it works.
Adults who are 49 or younger, don’t have children and aren’t disabled must work a minimum of 20 hours a week to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months during a three-year period.
The new rule doesn’t change that. It won’t require recipients to work more hours or to work the same hours each week for a longer period of time. Instead, the rule will change how states can pursue waivers for this work requirement.
The rule restricts work requirement waivers to areas with unemployment rates that are 6 percent or higher.
Does owning a car worth less than $5,000 bar Americans from receiving SNAP benefits?
Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was critical of the rule change and eligibility requirements for food stamps in general. One of her concerns is transportation.
She said on Twitter that if someone owns “a busted car” worth less than $5,000, “it can preclude you from food stamps.” In some states, this is true.
SNAP has many eligibility requirements, and they can get pretty complicated, especially because states set some of them.
To receive SNAP benefits, households can’t earn more than a certain amount, starting at a limit of $1,354 per month for a one-person household. Recipients also can’t own more than several thousand dollars in assets, including cash and vehicles.
States determine how to count vehicles toward a household’s total assets. According to a report last year from the Center for Law and Social Policy, states are required to exempt up to $4,650 from the value of one vehicle per household when calculating their total assets. That amount hasn’t been adjusted for inflation, increasing just $150 in four decades.
Some states exempt one or all vehicles in a household, while others, like Texas, meet the minimum of $4,650.
Organizations like the Center for Law and Social Policy oppose vehicle asset limits for SNAP recipients, claiming the requirement is a potential barrier to overcoming poverty.
Have 7 million Americans left the SNAP program because of Trump’s policies?
Trump said last month that 7 million fewer people are receiving SNAP benefits, which is true. But that decline in SNAP participation started in 2014, three years before Trump took office.
Contact Big If True editor Mollie Bryant at 405-990-0988 or bryant@bigiftrue.org. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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