A buried provision in the “big beautiful bill” effectively penalizes single parents who receive SNAP, or food stamps, as compared to households headed by married couples.
The provision is part of new stricter SNAP work requirements included in the bill, which are the first of their kind.
Advocates for the disadvantaged say these proposed changes to the program will result in millions of Americans losing vital assistance.
The most frustrating part about this is they already reduce the amount of SNAP benefits you get based on income.
Being forced to work 80 hours a month in, say, Washington state, for example, means that an individual will have drastically reduced SNAP income because 80 hours a week at Washington minimum wage is $1332.80 a month, which is just $612 shy of the max income limit for a single person to be able to recieve SNAP benefits at all. This could reduce someone’s SNAP benefits by about $100.
So, in essence, demanding they have a job is effectively reducing the amount of benefits paid out. That’s how this is intended to save money, to reduce total payouts by forcing people to labor and lose benefits.
As a single person who is technically disabled due to cancer but has been hesitant to get on disability because there’s a good chance my cancer could go into remission, I am left feeling pretty fucked into a corner about this myself, even though I have no dependents.
All of this is especially cruel in the face of a likely incoming recession from the economic stupidity on display by this administration. When unemployment skyrockets, people will just be out of luck with no safety net.
The caveat is that the work hours can be made up with approved volunteer hours - not that unpaid labor is much consolation for those who are unable to work or must have limited hours for their health.
Likely, they cruelty is the point. My heart goes out to you.