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A large number of Texans will encounter additional obstacles in obtaining food stamps due to the recent agreement to raise the federal debt limit. However, new initiatives are being launched to assist more Texans in avoiding hunger.
Mobilization is underway by food advocates and lawmakers to educate lower-income residents regarding new regulations that may restrict their eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps. As per a recent agreement between Congress and the White House, more middle-aged SNAP participants will be required to secure employment in order to maintain their enrollment in the program, beginning this summer.
In addition, Democrats aim to resist the right-wing’s attempts to impose additional limitations on the program while Congress addresses the farm bill. This comprehensive legislative package encompasses various food and agricultural priorities such as food security, trade protection, and ensuring the global competitiveness of American farmers.
Starting in early September, individuals participating in SNAP without dependents or disabilities will need to work a minimum of 80 hours per month until they reach the age of 51 in order to remain eligible for food stamps. This work requirement will then be extended to their 53rd birthday in October and eventually to their 55th birthday by the year 2024.
SNAP already has federal work requirements — generally at least 80 hours a month — for adults under 49 who don’t have disabilities or dependents to receive full-time benefits. Although there are plenty of exceptions to the work requirements, 44,000 Texans could see their SNAP access vanish if they don’t work the required hours, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
According to Democrats, the work requirement is being criticized as unnecessary, ineffective, and intended to undermine the SNAP program. They argue that Texans within the specified age range, who are unable to work or have irregular work schedules due to caregiving responsibilities for elderly relatives or disabled adult children, would not be exempt from the work requirements. Consequently, many individuals will be caught off guard by this change, as stated by Democrats.
“Taking some 50- to 55-year-olds off SNAP is just wrong. And it’s nuts to me, that that’s the price that Republicans wanted paid to get the debt ceiling raised,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin. Casar is a labor activist who voted against the debt ceiling agreement because of the work requirement, though he acknowledged the economic need to raise the debt ceiling.
Despite facing criticism from the left, the likelihood of reintroducing the work requirement is minimal in the political realm. Republicans are unwilling to abandon one of their longstanding policy goals, while most Democrats are uninterested in revisiting an agreement negotiated by their own president.
Food assistance programs in Texas are deemed complicated by groups working with food-insecure individuals, as they make it challenging for participants to stay updated on new regulations.
Kathy Green, director of state and federal strategy at AARP, expressed that there are certainly individuals currently benefiting from SNAP who will face repercussions from this upcoming change, and they might not be aware of it.
According to Green, AARP is expected to collaborate with food banks and other food-security organizations in order to ensure that participants are informed about policy changes that are made in Washington, even if they are located hundreds of miles away.
However, despite the efforts to reach out, Katherine Byers, government relations officer at the Houston Food Bank, acknowledged that many participants will inevitably be caught off guard when the new work requirement is implemented and their benefits are significantly reduced.
Republicans maintain that work requirements are essential in order to prevent the misuse of SNAP benefits and to help participants transition out of the program and regain self-sufficiency. According to Republicans, 54 is considered a reasonable age for such requirements, and there are numerous exemptions in place to safeguard individuals with valid reasons for not being able to work.
“An expanded work requirement for working-age, able-bodied adults is a reasonable condition for receiving SNAP benefits,” said U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-McAllen, who sits on the Agriculture Committee, which oversees food-assistance programs. “Getting South Texans back in the workforce is a win.”
As a component of the debt ceiling agreement, the work requirement does not extend to individuals enrolled in SNAP who are currently homeless. Additionally, military veterans, as well as young adults aged 24 and below who were under foster care until their 18th birthday, may also be excluded from this obligation.
But Democrats and food-security advocates point out that the majority of SNAP participants already work, and those who don’t may be exempt because they’re caring for elderly or disabled family members. Almost 80% of SNAP-participating households had at least one income earner before the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau.
Byers explained that individuals who are unpaid caregivers responsible for elderly parents or children with severe special needs face significant challenges. These caregivers often struggle to find employment or are forced to reduce their working hours due to their caregiving responsibilities. They do not have access to paid time off (PTO), which means that taking time off work to care for their own health or the person they are caring for could result in termination from their job.
Casar expressed his concern that the added paperwork for reporting working hours might discourage participants and put their benefits at risk. He was disappointed that Republicans took advantage of the debt ceiling negotiations by using work requirements as leverage, potentially jeopardizing the wellbeing of the U.S. economy.
This year, the farm bill, which is due for renewal, will see Congress making significant adjustments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Typically, the farm bill receives support from both parties, and Rep. Glenn Thompson, the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee from Pennsylvania, aims to uphold this tradition. Despite his endorsement of work requirements, Thompson recently voiced his support for food stamps during a committee hearing, recognizing their importance in aiding the most susceptible Americans in overcoming difficult circumstances.
But the nation is more politically divided than the last time Congress passed the farm bill, in 2018, and more than 200 members of the House have never voted on a farm bill. None of the four Texans on the Agriculture Committee — Casar; De La Cruz; Republican Ronny Jackson, of Amarillo; and Democrat Jasmine Crockett, of Dallas — were in Congress in 2018.
And with several far-right Republicans demonstrating a willingness to bring Congress to a standstill to rein in federal spending, a multibillion-dollar agriculture and social services package could be politically bitter for some newer members. Programs normally covered by the farm bill are expected to cost $725 billion over the next five years at current baseline spending, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The majority of that spending would go toward the package’s nutrition title, particularly SNAP.
SNAP funding differs from federal spending as it relies on the number of eligible participants enrolled, not an annual allocation. Hence, reducing SNAP funding would either restrict new enrollments or decrease the benefits granted to each participant. On average, a Texan SNAP recipient receives $265 monthly, approximately $9 per day.
Under Thompson, Republicans on the committee are hoping to improve the program’s efficiency with new technology, encourage healthier eating habits by restricting junk food purchases and target criminal organizations that steal SNAP benefits from participants.
Casar supports addressing criminal organizations that deceive SNAP participants and aims to broaden eligibility for workers during strikes. Food advocates also advocate for the inclusion of hot, prepared meals in benefits. They are against Republican attempts to restrict eligible foods in order to promote healthier eating, asserting that promoting better access to affordable, nutritious food is a more impactful approach towards fostering healthy diets.
Byers stated that simply compiling a list of items that cannot be purchased with SNAP will not effectively contribute to improving the nutritional intake of individuals.
But expanding benefits could be challenging as House Republicans use their majority to demand more reductions in federal spending. The debt ceiling deal capped future federal discretionary spending for the next fiscal year at current levels, and House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, said she’d try to drop spending down to fiscal year 2022 levels.
Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, stated that both lawmakers from different political parties are strongly opposing the notion of reducing farm bill funding as a cost-neutral bill would require reallocating funds from other areas within the bill.
Funding for the farm bill is set to diminish unless Congress renews it by the end of September.
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