From Repairers of the Breach (https://www.breachrepairers.org/):
“Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. Suppose one of you says to them, ‘Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.’ And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done?”
James 2:14-16
The Trump administration recently released a proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that would reduce the number of Americans who could access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps, ultimately removing over 3 million people from the program. Currently, 43 states allow families who receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) to automatically qualify for food-stamp benefits as well. Under the new rule, states could use a person’s savings or assets to disqualify them from receiving benefits. For example, if you had over $2,250 in savings, you’d have to spend your hard earned savings on food before the government would assist, or an elderly person could be denied benefits simply because their house is paid off.
The current administration would rather our nation’s most vulnerable deplete their savings and chances of getting out of poverty instead of providing them with food. They would rather a senior citizen refinance their home and put themselves into debt than provide basic food stamp benefits. The cuts also put tighter restrictions on income, meaning that if a worker takes an extra shift or receives something as small as a 50 cent raise, it could cause their food stamps to be immediately cut off. Despite being what many policy experts say to be our country’s most successful anti-poverty program, this administration seems determined to scale it back. These efforts are a blatant attempt to keep the poor and low wealth in poverty.
Many low wealth families who receive SNAP benefits but not TANF are working full-time but dealing with huge child care costs, housing, and other expenses. The program also allows children who receive SNAP benefits to qualify for free or reduced lunches. By tying SNAP directly in with TANF benefits, millions of families who rely on the program to put food on their tables will now be forced to decide between things like child care or food.
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