Republicans Seek to Implement End of Nutrition Assistance For 700,000 Americans DURING COVID-19

On April 1, 2020, if not for a court’s injunction, the Trump Administration’s cruel rule to take food assistance away from hundreds of thousands of Americans would have gone into effect.  SNAP, known for decades as "food stamps," is for families to put food on the table. Food so children don’t have to go to bed hungry.   SNAP gives on average just $1.40 per meal. It lifts 8 million out of poverty. And Republicans are eviscerating it.  

Federal Judge Beryl Howell, in a ruling [in mid-March 2020], stopped a set of changes that would have taken effect on April 1.  An Agriculture Department spokesperson responded with a terse email saying only that “USDA disagrees with the court’s reasoning and will appeal its decision.”

The Agriculture Department said that it would appeal a judge’s ruling that it would be “arbitrary and capricious” to move forward during a global health crisis with food stamp changes that could force hundreds of thousands from the program.

Yes that's right, not only is the Trump administration trying to rip away food from the neediest children and families, but they are going to court to make sure they can implement it right now, during the COVID-19 Great Depression.

In response to a lawsuit brought by a group of state attorneys general, Judge Howell ordered a freeze on the changes.  “Especially now, as a global pandemic poses widespread health risks, guaranteeing that government officials at both the federal and state levels have flexibility to address the nutritional needs of residents and ensure their well-being through programs like SNAP, is essential,” Howell wrote in her ruling.

Ellen Vollinger, legal director for the advocacy group the Food Research & Action Center, said her organization opposes the changes at any time. But the idea of pressuring low-income workers to keep their hours up is particularly dangerous right now, she said.  “You don’t want to have workers going out when they’re sick and trying to document the right number of hours just to keep their benefits,” she said.

SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the nation's most important anti-hunger program. In a typical month in 2017, SNAP helped more than 40 million low-income Americans afford a nutritionally adequate diet.  SNAP provides important nutritional support for low-wage working families, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes.  Close to 70 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children; nearly a third are in households with seniors or people with disabilities.  After unemployment insurance, it is the most responsive federal program providing additional assistance during economic downturns. 

Vollinger said that if the Agriculture Department really does intend to fight for the SNAP program changes, it might end up publicly clashing with Congress. The economic relief package recently approved by the House also suspends the government’s ability to remove SNAP benefits over the work requirement.

Sources: 

https://apnews.com/e2a2e9be5950a98f4dabcc2649aef332

http://smartdissent.com/article/republicans-finalize-ending-nutrition-assistance-700000-americans