(Washington, D.C., Tuesday, November 20, 2018) – If partisans in the House of Representatives succeed in pushing their agenda during this lame duck session of Congress, more than 2 million people would no longer be eligible for our most powerful and effective poverty-reduction programs.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) has been the savior for American families struggling to put food on their tables during hard economic times. When you’re able to cover a basic need like food and housing, you can get back on your feet more quickly. That’s how SNAP keeps more than eight million people out of poverty — including nearly four million children.
After the Thanksgiving break, Congress has just a few short weeks to pass a final farm bill before the end of the year. The farm bill fully funds SNAP.
SNAP is an option of last resort. It is designed to help people make it through economic downturns and natural disasters, providing critical food assistance to people suddenly in crisis.
Despite its success, it is in danger as the 115th Congress ends its session. Partisans in the House have advanced a bill that cuts SNAP benefits by nearly $19 billion and diverts much of that money to a risky scheme of ineffective and unproven work programs. The House bill includes penalties that would take away food assistance from those who don’t prove every month that they work enough hours or qualify for an exemption.
SNAP already has strict work requirements in place that take away food assistance from struggling Americans across the country while doing little, if anything, to help them find and keep a good-paying job. After three months of assistance, adults without minor children in their homes lose their food assistance unless they prove that they are working at least 20 hours a week or are exempt.
Instead of focusing on how quickly they can cut people off from assistance, our leaders should focus on making meaningful investments in quality job training programs to help people gain the skills they need to access better jobs. There is no evidence that current work requirements for SNAP have helped people gain better jobs.