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Government assistance programs like food stamps are intended as temporary support to help you regain financial stability. However, shifting from reliance on benefits to self-sufficiency may become more difficult if a new regulation is approved.
This new rule, announced by the USDA this week, aims to standardize the administration of SNAP benefits across states. Rather than allowing certain states to bypass eligibility checks for SNAP while enrolling families in other assistance programs, this change would ensure that all SNAP recipients are also enrolled in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for continued support.
The change would affect up to 3.1 million SNAP beneficiaries, approximately 8% of the total, who are technically not eligible for food stamps. The USDA claims that without a more uniform eligibility process, it cannot guarantee its effectiveness in helping families achieve self-sufficiency.
The proposed regulation aims to close a loophole that has allowed some states to expand SNAP eligibility to individuals who clearly do not need assistance,” stated a USDA press release. “In fact, the extent of this loophole became so outrageous that a millionaire from Minnesota enrolled in the program simply to highlight the waste of taxpayer funds.”
Reforming SNAP could push individuals off the benefits cliff
The majority of those affected by this rule are not wealthy individuals like the Minnesota millionaire trying to make a point, are they? According to the Congressional Budget Office, only 4.2% of households on SNAP in 2016 earned above the income limit of 130% of the federal poverty line. And being above that threshold doesn't necessarily mean a family is financially stable. In 2019, the poverty line for a family of four was $25,750. At 130% of that, the annual income would only be $33,475. Now imagine instead of gradually losing your benefits, they were abruptly cut off entirely.
The New Food Economy provided an example to help explain the situation:
Here’s an illustration of how this works, based on a statement made by the Urban Institute’s Elaine Waxman to the House Agriculture Committee last month: A single mother with two children making $12.75 per hour would normally receive $96 a month from SNAP. If she received a 50-cent raise, she would surpass the 130% eligibility threshold and lose all her benefits. However, under broad-based categorical eligibility, her benefits would be reduced to $65 a month instead of being eliminated entirely. This phenomenon, known as the benefits cliff, has been somewhat alleviated by broad-based categorical eligibility.
This change could have widespread consequences, extending beyond just cutting families off from their SNAP benefits. It may also affect children’s access to free school lunches. “Students automatically qualify for free lunch if they receive SNAP benefits. If the link between SNAP eligibility and TANF is severed, children may lose their free lunch,” explained staff writer H. Clare Brown. As many as 265,000 children could be affected by this shift.
How to voice your opinion about SNAP
The public has 60 days to submit comments on the proposed rule change. If you want to share your thoughts with the USDA, here’s how you can do it:
Go to Regulations.gov, where you can submit your comment using a form. While all comments will be made public, you can choose to leave the name fields blank if you prefer to remain anonymous.
Alternatively, you can send a comment via postal mail or email:
Mail: Send your comments to Program Design Branch, Program Development Division, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Dr., Alexandria, VA 22302.
Email: Send your comments to
[email protected]
. In the subject line, include Docket ID Number [FNS-2018-0037], “Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance”
The deadline for submitting public comments is September 23, 2019.
