Trenton – Senator Joseph Vitale and Senator Joe Cryan deplore the Trump administration’s new eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The new rule tightens work requirements for some SNAP recipients and is expected to eliminate benefits for roughly 688,000 adults.
“This is yet another sad and shameful day for America. In a country that budgets more than a trillion dollars a year, thrusting nearly 700,000 people into food insecurity so it can save a drop in the bucket is cruel, inexplicable and unacceptable,” said Senator Vitale (D-Middlesex). “Trump’s administration is playing numbers and politics with people’s lives and we cannot let it stand. I hope that, at least in New Jersey, my colleagues and I can find solutions to keep food on the table for the New Jerseyans threatened by this decision.”
“It’s clear this administration is oblivious to the needs and struggles of the people and families that rely on this program,” said Senator Cryan (D-Union). “The new requirements are shortsighted, harsh, out of touch and handcuffs our own ability to respond to the needs of our constituents. I am confident, however, that my fellow legislators can work together to find solutions that will protect those among us that are most in need.”
The new rule makes it more difficult for states to waive a requirement that able-bodied adults without children work at least 20 hours a week or else lose their benefits. The administration says the change is intended to encourage those receiving SNAP to get jobs, but anti-hunger advocates worry it will hurt low-income individuals who can’t find steady work.