USDA Addresses States’ Abuse in Nutrition Programs

(WASHINGTON, DC) Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on Thursday morning a proposed rule intended to remove abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Currently, the majority of states and territories apply waivers to the rules which allow able-bodied recipients without dependents (ADAWDs) to remain on assistance with no pathway to help them return back to work. The House-version of the 2018 Farm Bill attempted to address the issue but was stripped out of the final legislation signed into law by President Trump. Perdue explained that as benefits are made available to those who truly need them, participants will be encouraged to take proactive steps toward self-sufficiency. “Moving people to work is common-sense policy, particularly at a time when the unemployment rate is at a generational low.” In 2016 there were 3.8 million individual ABAWDs on the SNAP rolls, with 2.8 million (or almost 74 percent) of them not working. The new proposal would help to ensure that work provisions are waived only when necessary, encouraging states to renew their focus on helping SNAP participants find a path to self-sufficiency. A 2014 OIG report found that 42 of the states and territories improperly administered quality controls and a number of states were found to be defrauding the government.