Lawmakers weigh in on USDA proposal to change food stamp eligibility
For the Observer-Reporter
A proposal from the Trump administration would cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits across the country.
Toomey
Rep. Guy
Reschenthaler
Food stamp benefits are very prevalent in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania.
One in every five households in Fayette County receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, according to 2013-17 five-year estimates from the American Community Survey. Fayette County’s household clip of 20.6% ranks second among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties behind only Philadelphia County, and well above the statewide figure of 13% and nationwide clip of 12.6%.
So, the county’s residents could be acutely impacted by a Trump administration proposal to change how states determine who qualifies for SNAP benefits.
Greene County’s clip of households receiving SNAP benefits was 17.9% according to 2013-17 five-year estimates from the American Community Survey, fourth-highest in the state behind Philadelphia, Fayette and Lawrence counties, while Washington and Westmoreland counties ranked in the middle of the pack statewide at 12% and 11.5%, respectively.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed refining categorical eligibility requirements based on receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, a rule that would cut food stamp benefits for an estimated 3.1 million people.
The USDA would close what it calls the “nominal benefits loophole,” as states currently apply categorical eligibility with benefits as minimal as an informational brochure describing social services or hotline numbers provided to households.
The proposed rule would define “benefits” for categorical eligibility to mean ongoing and substantial benefits and limit the types of non-cash TANF benefits conferring categorical eligibility to those that focus on subsidized employment, work supports and child care.
Per the rule, households would have to receive TANF benefits valued at a minimum of $50 per month and get benefits for at least six months.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said that some people are receiving SNAP benefits even when they don’t need it, and the USDA in its press release announcing the proposed rule change cited the example of Rob Undersander, a millionaire in Minnesota who said he received about $6,000 in SNAP benefits over a 19-month stretch to prove a point that not everyone who receives food stamps needs them.
Democrats have decried the proposed rule change.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, wrote a letter to Perdue stating that Perdue’s staff had said that the proposed rule would result in more than 500,000 children losing their automatic eligibility for free school meals.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, touted the importance of expanding access to school meals for the children who need them most, adding that the administration’s proposed change would “move us in the exact opposite direction.”
“I am extremely concerned about this proposed change and how it would impact low-income communities, including children,” Casey said.
Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said in a statement that the proposed change would jeopardize SNAP benefits for about 200,000 people in more than 120,000 households across Pennsylvania, disproportionately affects the elderly and disabled populations in addition to working families.
“The rule has ramifications beyond food security,” Wolf said. “Pennsylvania retailers rely on the money SNAP recipients spend and reducing the number of people able to use these benefits in Pennsylvania will have a significant economic impact. In addition, when people receive proper nutrition, they remain healthier and spend less on health care. Depriving people of the means for adequate sustenance and a healthier life is cruel and inhumane.”
The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus also blasted the proposal, calling it “heartless” and “callous” and asking federal representatives to fight against it.
Included in that federal delegation are U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters Township, who welcome the proposed rule change, hailing it as a measure that will ensure that aid is not squandered on those who don’t need it.
“For too long, states have ignored eligibility requirements for these benefits,” Toomey’s press secretary Bill Jaffee said. “At a time of robust economic growth and record low unemployment, the administration is right to protect federal taxpayers and ensure public assistance is provided in a manner consistent with its original intent – to help those who need it the most.”
Reschenthaler also supports the rule change.
“I applaud the Trump administration’s continued efforts to fight fraud and abuse in our social safety net programs so we can ensure these resources are available for the people who truly need them,” Reschenthaler said. “The USDA’s proposal to close the food stamp automatic eligibility loophole, which is so broken that even a millionaire from Minnesota was able to qualify for government assistance, will save taxpayer dollars and ensure we are able to take care of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
The USDA announced last week that it will accept public comment on the proposed rule change for 60 days through www.regulations.gov.