Trump Pushes to Knock Hundreds of Thousands Off of Food Stamps - Rolling StoneTrump Pushes to Knock Hundreds of Thousands Off of Food Stamps While COVID-19 Death Toll Rises
The USDA wants to remove people from food stamps regardless of the change in the employment environment from coronavirus
While U.S. unemployment claims are
shattering an all-time record, due to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump’s administration is continuing its attempts to throw hundreds of thousands off of the government food-stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that a change sought by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was unlawful and blocked the agency from enforcing it. According to a report by the
AP on Wednesday, Perdue said that the “USDA disagrees with the court’s reasoning and will appeal its decision.”
But Howell’s “reasoning” was spot-on, and Perdue’s insistence with going ahead with an appeal is heartless in the face of a pandemic.
The rule change that the USDA is looking to put in place would halt states’ abilities to waive certain federal work- and time-limit requirements for SNAP recipients. As a result, the change would remove approximately 700,000 people from SNAP rolls starting on April 1st.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmm, I had a sneaky feeling that having a president that doesn't posses the key emotion of empathy might not be a great idea.