The Trump administration is moving forward with a rule change that could kick 700,000 Americans off food stamps as coronavirus hits a fever pitch
The new guidelines for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program are set to take effect on April 1. They will tighten the ability of states to provide access to food stamps and implement new work requirements for people seeking them.
Adults without children or disability will need to work at least 20 hours to qualify for the program. At a Tuesday congressional hearing, Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop called the scheduled rule change "particularly cruel" as more Americans stay home from work to avoid the virus or lose their jobs.Sonny Perdue, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, told lawmakers that states would be granted leeway to determine "good cause" and exempt people from the rules.
"Obviously if your job says you can't come to work or you're sick in that way, that good cause would eliminate need for work requirements under this rule," Perdue said. "That will be under the discretion of the states to determine that good cause." Perdue said that the Trump administration had decided to move forward with implementing the new regulations — and any changes in the timeline would require approval from Congress and the White House.Experts say that the timing of the new regulatory changes could end up hurting people who lose their jobs as a result of the virus.
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