Today, the Trump Administration issued a final rule that will cut basic food assistance for nearly 700,000 of the nation’s poorest people. By imposing arbitrary and harmful time limits on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — known as CalFresh in California — the rule punishes certain participants for lacking stable employment by taking food off their tables.
California Food Policy Advocates strongly opposes this cruel policy. Following this administration’s enactment of tax breaks that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and large corporations, it is particularly reprehensible to penalize SNAP participants struggling to find a steady job.
Since 1996, SNAP’s time limit has applied to “able bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs)—childless adults aged 18 to 49, who are unemployed or underemployed (working less than 20 hours/week). Participants that cannot find and maintain employment at 20 hours per week are only eligible for three months of SNAP benefits over three years.
This rule is an unwise expansion of a harsh, unfair, and counterproductive policy. It would greatly restrict the flexibility states have always had to waive time limits on SNAP in areas with insufficient jobs for low-income workers, and would impose harsh time limits on many more SNAP/CalFresh participants. It also blatantly circumvents Congressional intent in the 2018 Farm Bill—which on a bipartisan basis explicitly rejected such changes.
SNAP/CalFresh is one of our nation’s most effective anti-poverty initiatives. Without CalFresh, more than 800,000 Californians would be living in poverty. Yet, instead of addressing the systemic barriers that trap millions of Americans in poverty, the Administration has made multiple efforts to undermine our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program.
No one should be penalized for lack of opportunity. Our communities are stronger when everyone can have their basic needs met. Forcing people to suffer the indignity of hunger is fundamentally cruel. CFPA and our allies remain dedicated to pursuing policy changes that improve the health and well-being of low-income Californians. We oppose this harmful rule and will continue to advance policies that ensure a nutrition safety net that works for ALL Americans.
What’s next?
The rule is scheduled to go into effect in April 2020. This means the rules related to people with ABAWD status have not yet changed, and SNAP participants and people seeking food assistance should continue applying for and using benefits as normal.
For a more detailed analysis of the rule change, see the statement from our partners at the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities.
CFPA is still analyzing the impact of the rule on low-income Californians participating in CalFresh. Please stay tuned for more updates from CFPA on how you can help protect food assistance for low-income Californians in the face of ongoing attacks from the federal administration.
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Questions? Contact: Jared Call at 323.401.4972 or Melissa Cannon at 209.200.8446
