CORRECTING THE RECORD: SNAP SUPPORTS WORK

Dear Colleague:

There is false and misleading narrative being pushed by some in Congress that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) doesn’t require participants to work. I’d like to take this opportunity to correct the record.

The vast majority of people on SNAP are not expected to work because they are children, seniors, or people with disabilities.

• 42% of SNAP recipients are children.
• 16.2% of SNAP recipients are elderly individuals.
• 10.3% of SNAP recipients are non-elderly adults with disabilities.

Congress has already put into place strict work requirements for SNAP.

• SNAP beneficiaries ages 16–59 who are able to work are required to 1) register for work; 2) participate in SNAP Employment and Training or workfare, if assigned by a state agency; 3) take a suitable job if offered; 4) not voluntarily quit a job or reduce their hours.
• There are modest and narrow exceptions to this rule, including for families caring for young children.
• Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) must meet additional work requirements which are detailed below. They face a steep cliff when they are cut off of benefits abruptly after 3 months on the program.

In 89% of SNAP households with children and at least one non-disabled adult, at least one member of the household worked in the year prior to or after receiving SNAP.

• Many people on SNAP who work still qualify for benefits because their wages are too low. If we want to move more people off SNAP, we need to make work pay.
• Unemployment is often temporary for SNAP participants, who often work in frontline service and sales jobs like cashiers, cooks, or home health aides.

SNAP does not support a culture of dependency — in fact, it includes a mechanism to support workers as they increase their earnings.

• The benefit calculation includes a 20% earned income deduction to support work. Benefits slowly decline as earned income increases.
• For most households, each additional $1 of earned income results in SNAP benefits declining by 24–36 cents.

Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) on SNAP are a vulnerable, complicated group of individuals that already face additional strict work requirements and time restrictions.

• As many as 100,000 are veterans. Many are teens aging out of foster care or chronically unhoused individuals. Most childless adults on SNAP have a high school degree or less and are typically low-income, low-skill workers with limited job prospects. They face barriers to work like unstable living situations, underlying mental and physical health problems, and lack of transportation.
• ABAWDs ages 18–49 who are able to work are required to work or participate in a work training program. If they do not meet strict work requirements, they are limited to 3 months on SNAP over a 3-year period. The law allows states to seek temporary waivers from this requirement during times of high employment.
• Note: I personally believe the current time limit on ABAWDs is too strict, and leads to more people going hungry. I have cosponsored legislation (H.R. 1753 in the 117th Congress) to eliminate the ABAWD time limit.

Independent studies have repeatedly shown that SNAP’s ABAWD work rule does not increase employment or earnings, but it does cut people off from the benefits they need to afford food.

I am eager to have a conversation with any of my Democratic or Republican colleagues about how SNAP supports work. Should you wish to discuss any of this further, or are interested in receiving any of this research, please be in touch with me or my staff.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern

Member of Congress