Washington, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration announced its third proposal in the past 12 months to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In a move that especially targets low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities, the Trump administration’s proposed rule would prevent states from establishing utility and housing allowances in determining SNAP benefits. By taking away this flexibility from states, SNAP recipients in 29 states are expected to see a net loss of $1.54 billion in benefits annually.
Following the announcement of the rule, Ben Olinsky, senior vice president of Policy and Strategy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
It’s clear that the Trump administration will stop at nothing to take food off the tables of families struggling to make ends meet. Today’s proposed rule marks the third time this year that the administration has attempted to sidestep Congress and use regulatory power to slash SNAP benefits, after he failed to convince Congress to do his bidding and cut the program in last year’s Farm Bill.
If today’s rule is implemented, SNAP benefits would decrease by about $4.5 billion over the next five years. We expect 1 in 5 SNAP recipients to see a decrease in their benefits and about 8,000 families to lose their benefits altogether. Seniors and people with disabilities will be particularly harmed by this rule. Rather than helping the “forgotten men and women” President Donald Trump vowed to fight for on the campaign trail, now that he is president, he is trying to take away their groceries—all while giving a tax break to corporations, millionaires, and billionaires.
Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at CAP, added:
Families who include people with disabilities and seniors will be disproportionately hit by this attack, in that the standard utility allowance helps those with higher utility costs afford to put food on their table. The administration is pitting the need for food against the need for a power wheelchair, ventilator, or other lifesaving device. This is cruel and inhumane.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected] or 202-495-3682.