The Trump administration is set to propose a new rule on Tuesday that will reduce food stamp participation by 3.1 million people. This move would save taxpayers $2.5 billion per year.
The United States currently has low levels of unemployment, which has resulted in lower levels of participation in the food stamps program. Earlier this month President Trump tweeted that food stamp participation is at a 10-year low. This claim was even verified by Politifact.
Food Stamp participation hits 10 year low. Wow! @OANN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2019
According to a report from Reuters, there are residents in 43 states who receive help from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF. These program participants are automatically enrolled in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP.
The USDA plans on taking a look at these TANF cases individually instead of just automatically awarding them with food stamps. They will make sure to check if the participants actually qualify for the program.
“This proposal will save money and preserve the integrity of the program,” Sonny Perdue, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said in a conference call, per Fox News. “SNAP should be a temporary safety net.”
SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps, providers groceries to people who are not working or have low levels of income. It has been a major goal of the Trump administration to reduce the number of participants in this program.