WASHINGTON — As many as a million Americans will be kicked off food stamps this year thanks to the return of federal rules targeting unemployed adults without children.
That’s according to a new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington, D.C. think tank, which finds that no fewer than 500,000 people will lose benefits.
“The loss of this food assistance, which averages approximately $150 to $170 per person per month for this group, will cause serious hardship among many,” the Center on Budget says.
New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia and 20 other states will allow able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food assistance for only three months unless they work at least 20 hours per week. Though states are carrying out the policy, it’s a requirement of federal law that had been waived for the past several years because of widespread joblessness.
With unemployment rates tumbling, the rule is returning. Several states brought it back ahead of schedule last year, and by the end of this year, only a handful of states will qualify for waivers from the rule.
“It’s inexplicable how anyone could call compliance with a federal policy a punitive action by the state,” a spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told The Associated Press last week in response to criticism that the policy punishes poor people.
The three-month limit has traditionally been called a “work requirement,” but the Center on Budget quibbles with that characterization because work or qualifying “work activities” are not necessarily available.
“Because this provision denies basic food assistance to people who want to work and will accept any job or work program slot offered, it is effectively a severe time limit rather than a work requirement, as such requirements are commonly understood,” the Center says.
“Work requirements in public assistance programs typically require people to look for work and accept any job or employment program slot that is offered but do notcut off people who are willing to work and looking for a job simply because they can’t find one,” it adds.
Unemployed adults without dependents or disabilities are a small subset of the food stamp population. More than 45 million Americans receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a historically high number that is slowly declining thanks to a better economy as well as states applying tighter rules. Most households that receive benefits include members who are children, elderly or disabled.
In Louisiana, governor-elect John Bel Edwards (D) has pledged to undo the work requirement after outgoing Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced in December the state would be bringing it back.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/food-stamps-work-requirement_568d2c92e4b0cad15e62ca03?
“The loss of this food assistance, which averages approximately $150 to $170 per person per month for this group, will cause serious hardship among many,” the Center on Budget says.”
As intended.
“With unemployment rates tumbling,…”
In WHAT universe?
Awesome another million juked Americans.
I ‘m going write an executive post it note order.
Any person that’s unemployed , single and childless cannot own a firearm.
Signed…this day effective immediately!
By flee
There ya go its official now.
Wait… I forgot to cry and wipe away the tears..boo hoo.
Don’t forget it’s not to protect the children anymore….
It’s to protect the babies people.
What part of protecting the babies don’t you people understand?
Now give me your firearms for the babies. ..or I’ll kill you.
LOL, that great!
Damn it flee, don’t give them any ideas! LOL
ROFLMAO! flee! It seems, at times, to have come to that point. Grab your shotguns, deer rifles, and squirrel shooters and head to City Hall.
When you get there, walk through and “weed” out them damned masons, then grab your mayor by his coattails just to slow him down. He’s got cash to burn turning a blind eye to things. Then, get your torches cause, by now, word’s got out, we’re gonna have to hunt ’em down in the dark. Maybe, by then, they’ve self-administered a lead injection into their punkin’.
Dontcha love the restrictions they put on us pleebs? These scumbags go into office and while there become millionaires. The POS, vacations on our dime, golfing, eating lobster, jet setting around the world with his boy toy, fake kids and mofo inlaw. And we little people are set to starve if we dont meet their qualifications, and heaven forbid you don’t have kids! Let us not forget about the $250(?) a day they give to the illegal invaders. Can they give the American nationals a bigger middle finger! Oh hey, by the way, unemployment rates are “tumbling”! Cue the ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ music. What planet are these people living on! Oh man, I have to stop typing now. Sorry for the vent guys.
🙂 😉
Awesome! ((Angel)) love ya, and how you dig up the music! You’re the coolest gal here on the site! 🙂 thanks for the smile, as depressing as that era was. I didn’t mean that to be arrogant.
Aww…Thanks, Deb. 😀
You said cue the song…LOL
I didn’t think you sounded arrogant at all. I knew exactly what you meant and I agree. 😉
I watched this a couple of times now, eh, it’s so depressing. The unnecessary hardships really gets me. The rich versus the poor, or whom the rich made poor. None of this was necessary. And I’m going to stop now. Otherwise I’m going to blow a gasket.
Angel, at first I didn’t get the video, just the audio. And that’s where the lol came from. Then the video showed through, and I felt like an idiot for thinking it was funny. It’s not funny. I’m ashamed of myself for laughing, because people of the past suffered, just as people now are suffering. We will rectify this.
NOTHING to feel ashamed about. LOL The first one I posted was only the recording. Then I found the video, thought it was a better fit, and replaced the plain recording with the video. You just happened to “LOL” in between my edit. My fault, I did it. I laughed, when you said to cue the song. It’s a perfect fit. Sad as it is, many things have Not changed. Yes, it must be and Will be rectified.
Its so unbelievable. .. I have to goof on it. The tyranny is so in your face everyday. Ya gotta have a little comic relief or you’ll go nuts.
Thx for posting that song for me.
Thanks for that relief, flee. I’ve been lurking about trying to find something uplifting. Bang! You nailed it. Executive Post-it Note Order. Does Romy get a cut of the proceeds?
BTW, my benny’s been cut off. As i don’t have the money to pay the mortgage, i can’t claim my mortgage as an expense, therefore, ” NO SOUP FOR YOU!”
Yep did the same to me..
Lost my house, job, divorced lost my two sons.
All my equity stolen in the house in 2008.
Plus bankruptcy.
Then they wonder why people are so pissed off.
Angel-NYC, thank you for sharing.
This insanity makes “Wonder Land” look civilized and sane.