Stop Trump’s attack on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Stop Trump’s attack on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

By Lynda Carson - March 2, 2019

The American public has until April 2nd, 2019, to submit their comments to the Secretary of Agriculture in the effort to stop the Trump Administration’s proposed rule change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as the food stamp program. A brutal proposed rule change that would make it much harder for around 755,000 poverty stricken people across the nation to receive food assistance.

It is not uncommon to see poor people searching for scraps of food in trash containers near restaurants in the tourist section of Powell St., in San Francisco, one of the world’s wealthiest cities. Nor is it uncommon to find people across the nation dumpster diving in the large trash containers behind grocery stores in search of any food that may still be edible, so they can feed their hungry children, and family members at home.

As an example of the poverty level in Oakland, CA:

“18.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Oakland, CA (78,521 out of 415,381 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 14%.”

Making matters worse, according to an article with National Public Radio (NPR), “Millions of low-income Californians eligible for food stamps are not receiving the benefit, earning the state one of the lowest rankings in the nation for its participation in the program.”

Meanwhile, the robber barons of America are getting richer by the moment thanks to the Trump/GOP tax cuts for the rich, and super wealthy billionaires who believe that only the little people need to pay their fair share of taxes, and then some.

In essence, it is inhumane of the Trump Administration to try to bypass Congress with its proposed rule change to SNAP, in a scheme to make it harder for hungry poor people to receive food assistance while there is so much poverty across the nation.

Trump Administration’s Scheme To Take Food Assistance From The Poor:

According to Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), “The Trump Administration’s proposed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule would time limit food benefits for unemployed and underemployed people who can’t document sufficient weekly work hours. They would lose SNAP eligibility after three months. Anti-hunger advocates are urged to submit a comment expressing their strong opposition to the proposed rule during the 60-day public comment period that ends on April 2, 2019.”

According to FRAC, the proposed rule change would:

Cause serious harm to individuals, communities, and the nation.


Fuel rates of hunger and poverty by denying vulnerable people nutrition assistance at a time when they most need it.


Do nothing to improve the health and employment of those impacted by the proposed rule.


Harm the economy, grocery retailers, and agricultural producers by reducing the amount of SNAP dollars available to spur local economic activity.


Sidestep Congress, which rejected these changes when it enacted the 2018 Farm Bill.

In a dire warning from the Coalition on Human Needs, “Food assistance is under attack—again. If the Trump Administration has its way, 755,000 very poor people could lose SNAP benefits. These are working age people without dependents. Under current law, these individuals are subject to the harsh time limit of only three months of assistance every three years if they cannot document enough work hours. However, states can waive this time limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, popularly known as food stamps) if unemployment is high in parts or all of the state. In fact, every state but Delaware has asked for a version of these waivers over the past twenty years.”
   
“But the Trump Administration has been fighting to make it harder for states to give struggling workers a break. Congress doesn’t agree: it just passed a farm bill rejecting the harsher time limit and the President signed it. Now the Administration is trying to go around Congress by forcing these rigid time limits through a rule change, circumventing Congress altogether. But they cannot implement their proposed rule without first taking into account the public comments the law requires it to seek.”

Oppose stricter time limits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

For those of you who are opposed to the stricter limits being proposed by the Trump regime for those needing food assistance, feel free to click on the links below to submit your comment before April 2nd, 2019.

Click on link below to send comment to the Secretary of Agriculture:

https://tinyurl.com/yb95eznh

Or click on the link below to send a comment:

https://tinyurl.com/y2tfvqbv

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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