SSN Commentary

Trump's Food Stamp Rule Change Will Hurt 19 Million Households

Policy field

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Georgetown University

Originally published as: Donald Moynihan and Pamela Herd "Trump's Food Stamp Rule Change Will Hurt 19 Million Households," The Hill, September 6, 2019.

President Trump's proposal to the food stamp program would mean 1.7 million households, totaling 3.1 million people, will lose benefits that help them put food on the table. And on top of that, 500,000 kids will lose access to free school lunches.

But as grim as these cuts may seem, they are just the tip of the iceberg. The Trump administration also wants to bury those who remain eligible for food stamps in paperwork. These additional 17.2 million households will “undergo a more burdensome application process” according to the Congressional Research Service. The result: more red tape that means even more families will lose SNAP supports that have proven health and economic benefits.