The proposed debt ceiling agreement comes on the backs of people all across America trying to make ends meet. The expansion of cruel, harsh, and arbitrary time limits on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for older unemployed and underemployed adults struggling in the labor market will only deepen hunger and poverty.
SNAP is a symptom of shortcomings in the economy. Cutting off food for people unless they document sufficient hours of work does not improve their chances to secure family-sustaining wages, but does increase their food hardship.
Food is a basic human right and should not have a time limit. The most meaningful, effective, and equitable relief is to pass H.R. 1510 for a permanent end to SNAP time limits on all groups.
In addition to the negative impacts of SNAP cuts, the package also has additional provisions that will deepen hardship for people with low incomes. Changes to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF ) program and stringent caps on domestic spending will curtail the reach of critical programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Supplemental Commodity Food Assistance Program (CSFP), Head Start, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and a host of other programs designed to lift people out of poverty.
Hungry people cannot wait – but now they will need to wait even longer. Our leaders should be creating pathways to progress, not pulling out the rug from those trying to get back on their feet.
The Food Research & Action Center redoubles our calls for the administration and Congress to protect and strengthen SNAP and tackle the root causes of hunger and poverty in America.
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