Work Mo’ Fo’ Get Food Stamps, but No Mo’ Worries Fo’ Veterans and Homeless 👷♂️💪🍞🥫🇺🇸🏠
Da big kine talk-story fo’ raise da debt ceiling 📈💵 stay if da Biden admin goin’ make da kuleana mo’ big fo’ peeps fo’ score food stamps an’ oddah kine help. 🤔
Da deal we wen’ jam dis weekend get one kūkākūkā: Goin’ make da work kuleana mo’ big fo’ da Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program an’ cash welfare, but no goin’ switch up da kuleana fo’ Medicaid. Also goin’ make um mo’ smooth fo’ veterans, homeless peeps an’ young adults dat just wen’ pau wit foster care fo’ score food stamps. 📜🤝🥫👴👩🦳
We no can tell if dis kūkākūkā goin’ pass wit da progressive Democrats an’ conservative Republicans. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
Speaker Kevin McCarthy stay pushing fo’ add work requirements as one winna, but da mo’ conservative peeps say da kūkākūkā no mo’ enough. Representative Chip Roy, one Republican from Texas, called da work requirements “weak” while Representative Dan Bishop, one Republican from North Carolina, said da deal is one “betrayal”. 😠😡
We no mo’ clue how da changes goin’ affect da total numbah peeps scoring food stamps or how much kālā, if get any, it goin’ save da fed government. Da White House said da changes no really goin’ switch up da numbah peeps who get da kuleana, so da impact on government spending goin’ be small kine. 🧮🏛️💰
Da kūkākūkā also make um dat veterans, homeless peeps, an’ young adults dat just wen’ pau wit foster care no need meet those work kuleana. Undah da current law, only dose who no can work cuz of one physical or mental pilikia or get baby in da oven are exempt. 🇺🇸🏠👶
Anti-poverty advocates like da extra pass but no like da expansion of work kuleana an’ da decision fo’ tie safety net programs to da need fo’ ho’ōla da nation’s debt limit. 😫😭
‘Round 42.5 million peeps got SNAP benefits in February, compared wit ’bout 36.9 million in February 2020, da month befo’ da Covid-19 outbreak in da United States. Food stamp recipients get ’bout $169 in benefits every month on average, according to da Agriculture Department, who run da program. 🍲🍞🦠
Making da age fo’ work kuleana mo’ big probably goin’ cut down da numbah peeps scoring benefits. Da Congressional Budget Office estimated dat mo’ strict changes proposed in one House Republican bill in April — which would have also made da age limit 55 an’ further cut down state waivers without any new pass — would have pushed ’bout 275,000 peeps off food stamps an’ cut down benefits for oddah 19,000 peeps. 👴👵📉
But da new pass might also add peeps to food stamp rolls. One 2021 study from da Urban Institute estimated dat adults who had to meet da work kuleana were mo’ likely fo’ be homeless dan oddah SNAP peeps. No mo’ work kuleana could also increase da numbah of veterans who use food stamps from da current level of 1.1 million. 📚🏠🇺🇸
Unclear just how much of a budget impact these changes goin’ make. Da C.B.O. estimated dat da mo’ strict changes to food stamps in da House Republican bill would have cut down federal deficits by ’bout $11 billion over one decade. Da kūkākūkā’s modifications likely goin’ make a smaller dent in deficits. 💸📉🏛️
In addition to changes to food stamps, da debt ceiling kūkākūkā changes work kuleana for da Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which give cash help to households wit keiki. 👩👦👦👨👧👦💰
Fo’ score federal funding for da program undah current law, states need fo’ prove dat one certain percent of adults in families getting benefits are working, going school for work training or doing oddah approved “work activities.” 🏫📝💼
Da kūkākūkā changes how states figure those work participation rates and goin’ make um mo’ hard fo’ states to give pass to families from da kuleana, said Katherine Hempstead, one senior policy adviser at da Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization. But da kūkākūkā also made one small pilot program fo’ states to try oddah models. 📐📈🏛️
“Da research stay clear on da no work of work kuleana an’ da hard times dey cause fo’ peeps dat depend on da social safety net,” Ms. Hempstead said, but still, “dis kūkākūkā avoids some of da worst outcomes.” 📚🛠️👍
NOW IN ENGLISH
👷♂️💪🍞 Work More to Receive Food Stamps, But No More Issues for Veterans and Homeless 🥫🇺🇸🏠
The big discussion about raising the debt ceiling 📈💵 revolves around whether the Biden administration will increase the responsibility for individuals to receive food stamps and other forms of aid. 🤔
The deal we crafted this weekend includes a discussion: It will increase the work responsibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and cash welfare, but will not alter the responsibility for Medicaid. It will also simplify the process for veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults recently out of foster care to receive food stamps. 📜🤝🥫👴👩🦳
It’s unclear if this proposal will pass with progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans. 🤷♀️🤷♂️
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pushing to add work requirements as a victory, but the more conservative individuals say the proposal is not sufficient. Representative Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, called the work requirements “weak” while Representative Dan Bishop, a Republican from North Carolina, said the deal is a “betrayal”. 😠😡
We’re unsure how the changes will affect the total number of individuals receiving food stamps or how much money, if any, it will save the federal government. The White House said the changes will not really alter the number of people who qualify, so the impact on government spending will be minimal. 🧮🏛️💰
The proposal also stipulates that veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults recently out of foster care don’t need to meet these work requirements. Under the current law, only those who cannot work due to a physical or mental issue or those who are pregnant are exempt. 🇺🇸🏠👶
Anti-poverty advocates appreciate the additional exemptions but dislike the expansion of work requirements and the decision to tie safety net programs to the need to increase the nation’s debt limit. 😫😭
Around 42.5 million people received SNAP benefits in February, compared with about 36.9 million in February 2020, the month before the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States. Food stamp recipients receive about $169 in benefits every month on average, according to the Agriculture Department, which runs the program. 🍲🍞🦠
Increasing the age for work requirements will probably decrease the number of people receiving benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that stricter changes proposed in a House Republican bill in April — which would have also made the age limit 55 and further decreased state waivers without any new exemptions — would have pushed about 275,000 people off food stamps and decreased benefits for another 19,000 people. 👴👵📉
But the new exemptions might also add people to food stamp rolls. A 2021 study from the Urban Institute estimated that adults who had to meet the work requirements were more likely to be homeless than other SNAP recipients. Eliminating work requirements could also increase the number of veterans who use food stamps from the current level of 1.1 million. 📚🏠🇺🇸
It’s unclear just how much of a budget impact these changes will make. The C.B.O. estimated that the stricter changes to food stamps in the House Republican bill would have decreased federal deficits by about $11 billion over a decade. The proposal’s modifications will likely make a smaller dent in deficits. 💸📉🏛️
In addition to changes to food stamps, the debt ceiling proposal changes work requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance to households with children. 👩👦👦👨👧👦💰
To receive federal funding for the program under current law, states need to prove that a certain percentage of adults in families receiving benefits are working, attending school for work training or doing other approved “work activities.” 🏫📝💼
The proposal changes how states calculate those work participation rates and will make it more difficult for states to exempt families from the requirements, said Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization. But the proposal also included a small pilot program for states to try other models. 📐📈🏛️
“The research is clear on the damage of work requirements and the hardship they cause for people who depend on the social safety net,” Ms. Hempstead said, but still, “this proposal avoids some of the worst outcomes.” 📚🛠️👍
