A proposed rule that would have removed hundreds of thousands of people from food stamp rolls has been withdrawn by the Biden administration.
The change to eligibility standards for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) was proposed early last year by Sonny Perdue, U.S. secretary of agriculture under the Trump administration.
Able-bodied adults age 18 to 49, with no dependents, are ordinarily limited to three months of food stamps in any three-year period, unless they’re working or in school or a training program. States can request waivers to that policy in times of high unemployment or economic stress. The proposed rule would have made it harder for states to gain those waivers, with the practical effect of removing hundreds of thousands from SNAP eligibility.
When the change was put forth, Perdue was quoted as saying that SNAP should provide "assistance through difficult times, not a way of life." But soon afterward, a federal judge blocked implementation of the rule, calling it “likely unlawful,” especially in the light of what was then a growing health crisis from the pandemic.
The government appealed, but Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, recently announced that it would be withdrawing the appeal. "The rule would have penalized individuals who were unable to find consistent income, when many low wage jobs have variable hours, and limited to no sick leave," Vilsack said in a statement.