New Rule Will Eliminate Food Stamps For Many in Hudson Valley

The Trump administration gave final approval to new rules that will take away food stamps around 700,000 Americans.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced new work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or SNAP which is expected to eliminate benefits from 688,000 adults.

It was at first reported that 750,000 people would be impacted by the rule change, but the USDA later confirmed 688,000 people would lose access to food stamps, NBC News reports.

The rule change will impact people 18 to 49 who are able-bodied adults who do not have children. In the past, governors could waive those requirements, especially in places that struggle economically.

According to a USDA press release, this will help people "towards self-sufficiency and into employment," adding, "The rule restores the system to what Congress intended: assistance through difficult times, not a way of life."

Starting in April, to qualify for food stamps that group must work at least 20 hours a week for more than three months over a 36-month period. The new rules won't impact children, their parents, people over the age of 50, pregnant women, or people with disabilities, officials say.

"Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand, but not allowing it to become an infinitely giving hand," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a press release. "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 change is part of President Donald Trumps's 2018 executive order, “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility," which was made in hopes of creating more work programs and limiting public assistance, NBC reports.

This is the first of three proposed rule changes that could ultimately lead to three million Americans being cut from the food stamp rolls, according to NewsSource.

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