House GOP Proposes Food Stamp Work Requirements as Part of Farm Bill

According to the Washington Post:

“House Republicans pushed forward Wednesday with a plan to strengthen work requirements for food stamps, even as Democrats excoriated the proposal as an “ideological crusade” that would hurt the poor, burden state governments and endanger the passage of major food and farming legislation.

The plan, introduced last week as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, would dramatically expand mandatory state workfare programs in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, and require that most adults between 18 and 59 enroll or work at least part time to receive benefits.

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The Congressional Budget Office estimates more than 1 million people would leave the SNAP rolls over the next 10 years because of the new work requirements, mandating 20 hours a week of training or work, and stricter eligibility guidelines for low-income families who qualify for SNAP through other welfare programs, a practice known as Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility.

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The Farm Bill now moves to the House floor, where the acrimony is likely to continue. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has championed the Republican food-stamp plan, which dovetails with his agenda to reform welfare programs.” Click here to read the full article.

Because the SNAP program provides important assistance to people with disabilities and the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce, ANCOR is closely monitoring this legislation.  ANCOR has and will continue to weigh in with Congress and the Administration on SNAP as appropriate through its coalition the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD).