By Emily Moon, Pacific Standard, July 23 2019.
For decades, a key provision of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has extended benefits to households that do not quite meet the program's poverty threshold, but are still food insecure. On Tuesday, the Trump administration proposed slashing this provision, potentially worsening hunger for more than three million people.
The proposed rule, now open for comment, eliminates a longstanding policy that allows states to simplify eligibility for households that already receive some form of public assistance. Category eligibility, as the policy is known, has allowed states to extend SNAP benefits to more people for more than 20 years.
By the administration's own estimate, weakening these rules will force 9 percent of current participants—or 3.1 million people—off SNAP, a program that's been shown to reduce food insecurity and create economic benefits for rural communities. Those still eligible will face a more elaborate application process.
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