The federal government has made a change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, with a goal of moving able-bodied recipients towards employment and self-sufficiency.
The United States Department of Agriculture announced the action at the direction of President Donald Trump to restore the system to what Congress intended as assistance through difficult times. The change would save the Department of Agriculture about $5.5 billion over five years and cut benefits for roughly 688,000 SNAP recipients.
Local Congressman Glenn GT Thompson encouraged able-bodied individuals to take advantage of training opportunities and open positions. This rule is expected to impact the majority of able-bodied adults without dependants who currently receive SNAP benefits.
The USDA pointed to recent statistics from the Department of Labor that show an unemployment rate of 3.6% and 7 million job openings as evidence that those who are able to work should be working.
