House Backs State Suit to Reverse Trump Attempts at SNAP Work Rule Crackdown Amid Pandemic

Statement

Ohio Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations, issued a statement Wednesday on the House's filing of an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit filed by 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York to reverse the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rule to strip Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits away from able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). In March, the House filed a similar amicus brief to temporarily block the same rule.

"Despite countless reports showing hunger and unemployment rising together, pointing to a long and tough economic recovery from the pandemic, the Trump Administration has decided now is a good time to make it harder for people to buy food if they can't find a job. As tens of millions of Americans are without work, the administration, with equal parts arrogance and ignorance, continues its ideological crackdown on SNAP recipients," said Fudge. "And while House Democrats passed legislation to freeze these callous rules for the duration of the public health emergency--and a U.S. District Court wisely stayed the rule nationwide--the White House is intent on pursuing implementation of this bogus rule. The disconnect between an administration that ignores clear facts to push work requirements amid historically high unemployment numbers and an unprecedented coronavirus threat is frankly despicable and something my colleagues and I simply will not tolerate."

On March 13, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order to temporarily block stricter work requirements in USDA's SNAP ABAWD rule scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2020. The order stays most of the SNAP ABAWD final rule, while the district court moves forward with reviewing whether to reverse the rule. The House filed a second amicus brief today in support of the State plaintiffs' request to reverse the rule that contradicts Congressional intent.

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