President Donald Trump on Thursday pushed the House and Senate to pass a version of the farm bill that includes work requirements for families who receive food stamps. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Aug 02, 2018
With both houses of Congress preparing to merge their two versions of the farm bill, President Donald Trump announced his hope on Thursday that lawmakers will reach an agreement that kicks one million Americans off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
\u201cWhen the House and Senate meet on the very important Farm Bill \u2013 we love our farmers - hopefully they will be able to leave the WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD STAMPS PROVISION that the House approved. Senate should go to 51 votes!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1533236264
Critics on social media shared their distress--but not surprise--at Trump's enthusiasm for making it more difficult for lower-income families to receive help buying groceries.
\u201cThe President has not hurt enough families this summer by separating families physically. He wants to now separate more families from food they need.....\u201d— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larry Ferlazzo) 1533237427
In the House's version of the farm bill, adults between the ages of 19 and 59 would be required to either work or be enrolled in a job training program 20 hours per week to qualify for assistance.
The Senate did not include work requirements in its bill. Trump's declaration that the Senate "should go to 51 votes" signaled the White House's hope that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will abandon the filibuster, making it easier for Republicans to pass a farm bill that would cut down on food stamp recipients.
Work requirements for SNAP benefits are expected to reduce government spending by $20 billion over the next decade. Trump is pushing Congress to pass the measure seven months after passing the GOP tax law, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects will add nearly $2 trillion to the federal deficit within 10 years.
The Republican Party is currently working to expand on its tax legislation, with the Trump administration willing to bypass Congress in order to cut taxes on capital gains, according to the New York Times.
As MoveOn.org's Washington director Ben Wikler noted, Republicans' rush to cut federal spending for struggling families has not been extended to benefits for the wealthiest Americans.
\u201cSo weird the Trump administration isn\u2019t putting work requirements on its capital gains tax cut\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1533077354
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With both houses of Congress preparing to merge their two versions of the farm bill, President Donald Trump announced his hope on Thursday that lawmakers will reach an agreement that kicks one million Americans off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
\u201cWhen the House and Senate meet on the very important Farm Bill \u2013 we love our farmers - hopefully they will be able to leave the WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD STAMPS PROVISION that the House approved. Senate should go to 51 votes!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1533236264
Critics on social media shared their distress--but not surprise--at Trump's enthusiasm for making it more difficult for lower-income families to receive help buying groceries.
\u201cThe President has not hurt enough families this summer by separating families physically. He wants to now separate more families from food they need.....\u201d— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larry Ferlazzo) 1533237427
In the House's version of the farm bill, adults between the ages of 19 and 59 would be required to either work or be enrolled in a job training program 20 hours per week to qualify for assistance.
The Senate did not include work requirements in its bill. Trump's declaration that the Senate "should go to 51 votes" signaled the White House's hope that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will abandon the filibuster, making it easier for Republicans to pass a farm bill that would cut down on food stamp recipients.
Work requirements for SNAP benefits are expected to reduce government spending by $20 billion over the next decade. Trump is pushing Congress to pass the measure seven months after passing the GOP tax law, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects will add nearly $2 trillion to the federal deficit within 10 years.
The Republican Party is currently working to expand on its tax legislation, with the Trump administration willing to bypass Congress in order to cut taxes on capital gains, according to the New York Times.
As MoveOn.org's Washington director Ben Wikler noted, Republicans' rush to cut federal spending for struggling families has not been extended to benefits for the wealthiest Americans.
\u201cSo weird the Trump administration isn\u2019t putting work requirements on its capital gains tax cut\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1533077354
With both houses of Congress preparing to merge their two versions of the farm bill, President Donald Trump announced his hope on Thursday that lawmakers will reach an agreement that kicks one million Americans off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
\u201cWhen the House and Senate meet on the very important Farm Bill \u2013 we love our farmers - hopefully they will be able to leave the WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD STAMPS PROVISION that the House approved. Senate should go to 51 votes!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1533236264
Critics on social media shared their distress--but not surprise--at Trump's enthusiasm for making it more difficult for lower-income families to receive help buying groceries.
\u201cThe President has not hurt enough families this summer by separating families physically. He wants to now separate more families from food they need.....\u201d— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larry Ferlazzo) 1533237427
In the House's version of the farm bill, adults between the ages of 19 and 59 would be required to either work or be enrolled in a job training program 20 hours per week to qualify for assistance.
The Senate did not include work requirements in its bill. Trump's declaration that the Senate "should go to 51 votes" signaled the White House's hope that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will abandon the filibuster, making it easier for Republicans to pass a farm bill that would cut down on food stamp recipients.
Work requirements for SNAP benefits are expected to reduce government spending by $20 billion over the next decade. Trump is pushing Congress to pass the measure seven months after passing the GOP tax law, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects will add nearly $2 trillion to the federal deficit within 10 years.
The Republican Party is currently working to expand on its tax legislation, with the Trump administration willing to bypass Congress in order to cut taxes on capital gains, according to the New York Times.
As MoveOn.org's Washington director Ben Wikler noted, Republicans' rush to cut federal spending for struggling families has not been extended to benefits for the wealthiest Americans.
\u201cSo weird the Trump administration isn\u2019t putting work requirements on its capital gains tax cut\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1533077354
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