LANSING — State Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) introduced a Resolution today urging President Donald Trump and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to repeal their recent rule changes for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which tighten work requirements for food stamp recipients across the country. The changes are expected to result in a loss of benefits for nearly 700,000 adults.
“SNAP is a crucial assistance program that so many Michiganders rely on to help make ends meet,” said Hope. “These changes would have a deep, harmful impact on thousands of struggling families across our state while doing absolutely nothing to provide them with the job opportunities they need to support themselves.”
Currently, able-bodied adults without dependents need to work 20 hours a week to be eligible for SNAP benefits, but states are able to waive that requirement in areas with high unemployment. The proposed rule change will greatly limit the ability of states to obtain these waivers. Michigan is likely to be one of the states hit hardest by these changes, with almost 150,000 Michiganders expected to lose their SNAP benefits once this change is implemented. According to a USDA study, 13.6 percent of Michigan households struggled with food insecurity between 2014 and 2017, which is 1.8 percent higher than the national average.
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