More Work Requirements Won't Help the Food Stamp Program
Such provisions would put a greater number of people at risk of losing their benefits. There are better ways to strengthen this safety net.
Food insecurity is about to rise.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
This year Congress needs to reauthorize the Farm Bill, of which the largest portion is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or better known as food stamps. It’s the primary program to reduce hunger among low-income individuals and families. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about 11% of Americans received some benefits, close to its average participation rate since the 1990s. However, participation moves substantially with macroeconomic conditions and overall family incomes.
In addition to being a crucial safety net, SNAP is also contentious. A longstanding concern is that the program discourages people from working. To address that, the benefits for adults age 18 to 49 who are not disabled and live in childless households expire after three months unless they are working or in an educational or training program. Even so, according to the US Department of Agriculture, less than 30% of adults in this group had earned income in 2019. This partly reflects other discretionary exclusions from the work requirement, like being physically or mentally unfit to work.