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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 29 July 2019

Trump proposal seeks to crack down on food stamp 'loophole'

By DAVID A. LIEB telephone hotline. Among
Associated Press other things, Obama's ad-
Residents signing up for ministration said the ex-
food stamps in Minnesota panded eligibility could
are provided a brochure help families stung by a
about domestic violence, weak economy and pro-
but it doesn't matter if they mote savings among low-
even read the pamphlet. income households.
The mere fact it was made Most states adopted the
available could allow them strategy. Thirty states and
to qualify for government the District of Columbia are
food aid if their earnings using income limits higher
or savings exceed federal than the federal standard
limits. of $1,316 monthly for an in-
As odd as that might sound, dividual or $2,252 for a fam-
it's not actually unusual. ily of three. Thirty-nine states
Thirty-eight other states also and the District of Colum-
have gotten around feder- bia have either waived as-
al income or asset limits for set limits entirely or set them
the Supplemental Nutrition above federal thresholds,
Assistance Program by us- according to the Agricul-
ing federal welfare grants ture Department.
to produce materials in- The department's inspec-
forming food stamp ap- In this Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue testifies during a House Agri- tor general has raised con-
plicants about other avail- culture Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. cerns about the tactic. It
able social services. Illinois, Associated Press also came under public
for example, produced a scrutiny last year after self-
flyer briefly listing 21 ser- the ideological clash be- cans out here are living that allows people who re- described millionaire Rob
vices, a website and email tween Trump's attempts to paycheck to paycheck, ceive benefits through oth- Undersander testified be-
address and a telephone tighten government entitle- one crisis away from be- er government programs, fore the Minnesota legis-
number for more informa- ment programs and efforts ing homeless," Vega said. such as Temporary Assis- lature that he and his wife
tion. in some states to widen the "You're just going to take tance for Needy Families, had legally received about
The tactic was encour- social safety net. this kind of stuff away from to automatically qualify $6,000 in food stamps over
aged by former President It's also stirred outrage and us when we need it the for the food aid program 19 months because his
Barack Obama's adminis- uncertainty among some most?" Agriculture Secre- known as SNAP. The prac- considerable assets and
tration as a way for states who stand to be affected. tary Sonny Perdue said the tice, called categorical eli- Individual Retirement Ac-
to route federal food aid "I think it's pretty rotten," said proposed rule change is gibility, is intended partly to count withdrawals didn't
to households that might Lisa Vega, a single mother intended to close a "loop- reduce duplicative paper- count against his eligibility.
not otherwise qualify un- of two teenage boys in hole" that states have mis- work. It has also allowed Undersander, who is a
der a strict enforcement suburban Chicago who used to "effectively by- states to grant food stamps Trump supporter, told The
of federal guidelines. Now applied for food stamps pass important eligibility to more people. Associated Press this week
President Donald Trump's last month after losing her guidelines." Current federal In 2009, Obama's Agricul- that he had been trying to
administration is proposing job. Because she receives guidelines forbid people ture Department sent a make a point — not game
to end the practice — po- regular support payments who make more than 130 memo to its regional direc- the system — and praised
tentially eliminating food from her ex-husband, Vega percent of the poverty level tors encouraging states to Trump's administration for
stamps for more than 3 mil- said her eligibility for food from getting food stamps. adopt what it termed as proposing to tighten eligi-
lion of the nation's 36 million stamps likely hinges on the But many states believe the "broad-based categorical bility standards.
recipients. income eligibility excep- cap is too restrictive, espe- eligibility" for food stamps "I think that states just found
The proposed rule change, tions that Trump's adminis- cially in cities with a high by providing applicants this loophole, and then I
outlined this past week by tration is trying to end. cost of living, prompting with a minimal TANF-fund- think they've been abusing
the U.S. Department of Ag- "A lot of these politicians them to bypass the limits. ed benefit such as an in- a loophole," Undersander
riculture, has highlighted don't realize that us Ameri- At issue is a federal policy formational pamphlet or said.q