Republican rips McCarthy’s ‘sleight of hand’ that will see MORE Americans get food stamps
A provision in the new debt deal compromise to expand job requirements for food benefit recipients, which Republican leaders applaud, would effectively put an additional 78,000 people on the public assistance program over five years.
The reason, according to an analysis released Tuesday evening by the Congressional Budget Office, is that a series of waivers and exceptions included in the language would outweigh the people kicked off benefits by the expanded work requirement.
“I have renamed this account the sleight of hand expense account,” Texas Rep. complained. Keith Self, who singled out the provision for criticism.
“We are very proud of the work requirements. In this bill we have temporary work requirements, but we have permanently added new exceptions.”
The CBO outlined the reasons in his analysis of the debt deal, which is speeding toward a floor vote scheduled for Wednesday night.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his leadership team highlighted the expanded work requirements for those on a supplemental nutritional assistance program in the debt agreement. But new exemptions will lead to an estimated increase in recipients, CBO said
Under current law, able-bodied adults under 50 must work 80 hours a month or receive training to receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The bill gradually raises the age to 54, which would push people away from the program.
But the deal also includes new exceptions that Democratic negotiators pushed for. These would apply to people who are homeless, veterans and people aged 18-24 who were in foster care at age 18.
The changes would result in $2.1 billion in additional spending over a decade, according to CBO.
In the period 2025–2030, if the group of people up to the age of 54 were subject to compulsory work and the new exclusions were in force, approximately 78,000 people would receive a net benefit in an average month (an increase of approximately 0.2 percent from the total number of people receiving SNAP benefits,” the analysis said.
That’s due to “compensation effects”: the increased age to work would reduce spending by $6.5 billion, but the new exclusions would increase spending by $6.8 billion.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget and White House negotiator Shalanda Young said the savings from a new job requirement for SNAP benefits and new waivers added would be “a wash”
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) and other Freedom Caucus members have been hammering away at the budget deal
Former Trump OMB director Russ Vought ripped GOP negotiators for outsmarting them
GOP leaders applaud expanded job requirements for SNAP benefits in budget agreement
Stormie Whitten, 25, uses her Maine EBT card while shopping at Paul’s grocery store. Gov. Paul LePage announced Wednesday that Maine will no longer seek a federal waiver that would allow some able-bodied adults to receive food stamps without working or volunteering. The debt agreement on the way to a ballot expands the job requirements by adjusting the age range
Some of the exemptions are for people under 50, which would bring the total increase in direct spending to an estimated $1.8 billion.
Republicans who supported the deal negotiated by the leaders pushed back on congressional scorers Tuesday night. “The simple answer is that the CBO got it [it] wrong,” said Representative Patrick McHenry (RN.C.), an ally of Kevin McCarthy.
But White House Director, Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, who helped negotiate the deal, predicted earlier Tuesday that the changes would offset.
“We believe those who don’t meet those requirements because of those exemptions will be about the same number as those who are phased in by age,” she told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
And you have to remember this: This whole SNAP amendment is sundown in 2030 to give Congress a chance to see how the new waivers work and how the new eras work. And they can voice their opinion on a future farm bill if these changes have made a difference to the SNAP program,” she said, referring to the legislation authorizing the program.
She predicted the numbers would be “a wash” in terms of who goes through and those who get out of the program.
Former Trump OMB director Russ Vought, who blasted the deal on Twitter even though many House Republicans embrace it, wrote, “The gang can’t shoot straight, folks. Work demands should save money.’
Also bash the interaction were Representatives Ralph Norman (RS.C.) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), both members of the conservative Freedom Caucus.