The Trump Administration is making a change for some people who receive food stamps. The move could mean nearly 700,000 people will lose their SNAP benefits. The order affects adults who are less than 50 years old who do not have disabilities or dependents. The USDA says the move will save about $5 billion over five years while encouraging people to get jobs.
The move would affect so-called ABAWDs, which stands for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents. The USDA says about 2.9 million ABAWDs receive food stamps and nearly 74 percent of them are unemployed.
Current rules require the group to work at least 20 hours a week for more than three months during a three-year period, but states can waive the rule if work is not available. The new rule will limit the state's ability to do that unless unemployment reaches a specific rate in that area. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 3.6 percent. The U.S. Department of Labor says there are 7 million job openings.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement:
“Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand,” said Secretary Perdue. “Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work. This rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re-enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them.”
The USDA says in 2000, the unemployment rate was 4 percent and 17 million Americans relied on food stamps. In 2019, the unemployment rate is 3.6 percent and 36 million Americans use food stamps.
Critics say the change will not encourage people to find work. Instead, they say people will turn to other services like the Food Bank of Northern Nevada (FBNN) and Catholic Charities.
"This will do absolutely nothing to help people find jobs," Shane Piccinini, Manager of Government Relations for FBNN said. "All this is going to do is put the under-resourced individuals into a tighter spot."
Marie Baxter is the CEO of Catholic Charities, which serves about 15,000 people each month by providing groceries. She says most of them are the working poor who also have SNAP benefits. She says the rule means more people will ask the organization for help. Especially those who have other reasons for being unemployed.
"Sometimes it's transportation can be their biggest barrier," Baxter said. "It can be that they have had some sort of an indiscretion in their past that is limiting their ability to get a sustainable job."
Piccinini says the move could affect up to 50,000 Nevadans, including possibly 5,000 in Washoe County. He says most of FBNN's 91,000 monthly clients have jobs and that some of the ABAWDs who will lose SNAP benefits are seasonal workers.
"They work in the recreation and outdoor industry, they do construction, they do retail when they've got employment for the majority of the year but there's a little window when they're going to need some assistance," Piccinini said.
Baxter says many people food stamps help free up some of their income so they can pay their rent or other costs of living. She says rising costs are the biggest reasons why people are falling into poverty, despite the thriving economy. Catholic Charities provides food but it also tries to help its clients find work or craft skills.
"People may come to us for food but we may end up being able to employ them in our thrift store where we can give them those skills to be able to move on in the future towards something that may be more sustainable," Baxter said.
The new rule takes effect April 1, 2020. It will not affect people who are 50 years old and up, senior citizens, people with disabilities or pregnant women.
