According to a research and policy institute, President Donald Trump’s budget proposal includes increased SNAP work requirements that could affect thousands of Pennsylvanians and result in employment losses.
The law is meant to go into effect immediately, but states like Pennsylvania are waiting for advice from the Department of Agriculture on how to execute it.
20 hours of work every week
The new law raises the work-age requirement to persons aged 55 to 64, as well as those with children over the age of 14. People in such categories must now work at least 20 hours per week, or 80 hours per month, to continue receiving food subsidies. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 143,000 persons in Pennsylvania stand to lose some benefits as a result of these changes.
Previously, families with children of all ages were eligible.
The new rule also applies to people who became eligible for SNAP as refugees, asylum seekers, or victims of domestic violence or sex trafficking. These people are no longer eligible unless their status is converted to citizen or legal permanent residence.
A study suggests that jobs could be lost.
A separate research predicts that the drop in food benefit spending might cost the state 6,900 jobs next year.
“The impact will be unfortunate in the sense that a lot of people in between jobs who are struggling to find work or who are working more than 20 hours per week will now be limited to only three months of assistance due to the changes in the law,” said Ed Bolen, Director of SNAP Strategies at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Republicans emphasize savings and more people working.
Republicans claim that the increased standards will encourage able-bodied adults to return and stay in the labor.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the SNAP adjustments will save the nation $186 billion over the next decade.
How many people in Pennsylvania receive snap benefits?
Currently, 1,901,632 persons in Pennsylvania receive SNAP assistance.
WGAL tracked down the number of SNAP recipients in Pennsylvania by county. Tap or hover over the interactive map below to see which counties have the largest percentages of SNAP recipients, as well as the total number of beneficiaries.
