Trump Administration Revising Rule That Allows States to Circumvent SNAP Work Requirement

The Trump administration is revising a 22-year-old federal regulation that has enabled states, with the help of a left-wing political organization, to acquire waivers exempting able-bodied adults without dependents (ABWDs) from having to work or undergo job training to receive taxpayer-funded benefits such as food stamps.

Reforming the rule will reduce the taxpayer burden and enable more individuals to move from federal dependency to self-sufficiency, according to the administration.

During a Congressional hearing addressing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud earlier this year, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked the politically left advocacy organization, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), why it was working with state agencies to seek work requirement waivers for large geographical regions in state with low unemployment.

Stacy Dean, a CBPP vice president, said at the Subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules hearing that CBPP "has been working with states on this issue since the rule's passage in 1996 and has significant experience on waiver eligibility criteria."

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