SNAP Work Requirement Still Not Enforced in 25 States

To be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP), a person must be able-bodied and not dependent.SNAP). However, Congress lifted the work requirement during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Although businesses are now open, 25 states have not completely reinstated work requirements. Seven states, however, allow waivers for work in certain parts of the state. These seven states are Colorado, Kentucky Kentucky, New Hampshire North Dakota, Ohio Oregon, South Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota, North Dakota, Ohio and Oregon.

The work waiver has been maintained in 18 states and territories. These are Alaska, Arizona and California, Connecticut, District of Columbia. Guam, Hawaii. Illinois. Louisiana. Michigan. Nevada. New Jersey. New Mexico. New York. Pennsylvania. Rhode Island. U.S Virgin Islands.

The work requirement will be reinstated after the federal public emergency in May. Republicans on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry would like to know why the work obligation isn’t in place.

“For nearly three years, SNAP participants have been exempted from work requirements. It is time for this exemption to end and it is time for USDA to get serious about enforcing work requirements. States should no longer be allowed to game the system,” Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.Thursday’s opening statement of the hearing on funding Farm Bill was made by, the ranking member of the committee.

“Good jobs are plentiful. There are more than 11 million jobs open across the economy, equivalent to nearly two job openings for every unemployed person. Approximately 5 million of those job openings are in 25 states and territories that are not enforcing work requirements. This job gap pushes labor costs higher, slows supply chains, delays our economic recovery from the pandemic, and importantly, is a large contributor to the historic inflation facing our nation.”

Work Requirement Burden

Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), joined by fellow Republican Senators, speaks on a proposed Democrat tax plan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 4, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

According to testimony at hearings, 10 percent of SNAP recipients come from able-bodied individuals who are not dependents.

Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was asked several times throughout the hearing why the USDA is allowing states to continue with the work waiver. Dean explained that Congress has suspended the work obligation, but that the USDA is working hard with states to make sure the law is reinstated once the suspension ends.

She said that the administration sees the work requirement in some cases as a burden.

“The rule is incredibly complicated,” Dean said. “We often see individuals who should be exempt from it falling prey to it. … This rule applies to veterans, homeless individuals, and 19-year-olds who have just aged out of foster care and might struggle.”

SNAP is intended to supplement a beneficiary’s monthly grocery budget, Boozman said. It was not intended to replace the monthly grocery budget.

“Why is the Biden administration not promoting work?” Boozman asked. “As study after study proves, work equals dignity. A culture of dependence weakens our communities and our country. SNAP is a valuable program, but it should lead to self-reliance, not generational dependence.”