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The White House is going forward with a rule that will make it harder for Ohioans in low-income counties to get food stamp benefits. The rule eliminates the ability for states to request waivers on work requirements for counties with high unemployment rates.
The new rule from the Trump Administration requires able-bodied adults can only get SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps, if they work, go to school, get work training, or volunteer.
The administration says this new ruleis intended to move people away from government dependency and toward self-sufficiency.
"We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a statement. “Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work. This rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re-enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them.”
The Trump administration is tightening work requirements for some food stamp recipients — a change that's expected to eliminate SNAP benefits for 688,000 adults.https://t.co/yQce6cCnTV
— NPR (@NPR) December 4, 2019
But Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, says the Trump Administration has been targeting low-income benefits from different angles and that creating work requirements will not spur personal advancement.
"A hungry worker is not going to be a productive worker," said Hamler-Fugitt. "If we want to encourage work and provide opportunities for individuals, the one thing you don't do is take away their nutritional lifeline."
Tens of thousands of Ohioans could be affected by the new rule, which goes into effect in April.
A Republican-backed bill, HB200, calls for similar changes on the state level.
"This legislation aims to restore dignity to Ohioans by moving them from public assistance to work," says Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wooster), who sponsored the bill. "By requiring able-bodied adults to fulfill work requirements in order to receive SNAP benefits, more individuals will find themselves on a pathway to long-term employment, ultimately eliminating their need for food assistance."
That bill has received three hearings in the House but has had no action since June.
Copyright 2019 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.