Enrollment has declined as the economy has improved and was down 2.5 million from a year earlier. A final regulation will be issued after a 60-day public comment period.Īs of April, 36 million Americans received food stamps, with an average monthly benefit of $121 per person, according to the Department of Agriculture. The proposed restrictions would eliminate food stamps for 3 million people at an average annual savings of $2.5 billion, Lipps said.
Other than cash, the only welfare benefits that would qualify are subsidized employment, work supports such as transportation, and childcare, Lipps said. The proposed regulations, to be released Tuesday, would only allow automatic enrollment of people who receive welfare benefits worth at least $50 a month on an ongoing basis for at least six months. The Trump administration rule would rein in states’ ability to enroll recipients earning more than 130% of the federal poverty guidelines - in most cases capping eligibility to an annual income of $32,640 for a family of four.įorty states and the District of Columbia currently use alternative eligibility criteria that allow participants in some federally funded welfare programs to automatically receive food stamps as long as their income is less than double the poverty level.īrandon Lipps, an acting deputy undersecretary in the Agriculture Department, told reporters in a conference call previewing the regulatory changes that in some cases states enroll residents for food stamps even though they are receiving federal welfare benefits of minimal value - including brochures. “This rule would take food away from families, prevent children from getting school meals, and make it harder for states to administer food assistance,” the Michigan senator added.
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