DENVER, Colorado — Colorado has joined 20 states and Washington D.C. in a lawsuit to challenge the Trump administration's proposal that will restrict food stamps, or SNAP benefits, to 700,000 people.
Currently, Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) can receive food stamps up to three months in three years so long as they’re working at least 20 hours per week. But states can request waivers to that work requirement during economic downturns or in areas with high unemployment rates.
In April, the USDA will tighten the standards for waivers, citing concerns over abuses of the system.
“This manipulation is demonstrated by the fact that currently about half of the ABAWDs on SNAP live in waived areas, despite low unemployment levels across the majority of the country,” the USDA wrote in its Final Rule.
Hunger Free Colorado said this will immediately affect 800 Coloradoans in rural Colorado where it’s tougher to find a job.
“We also know that a lot of people who fall into this population do work but they might struggle to maintain or have stable hours or full-time hours, lack transportation, undiagnosed health needs,” said Anya Rose, Public Policy Manager for Hunger Free Colorado.
That number may not seem like much now, but Rose said all but one state across the country utilized the waivers during the recession. In 2011, all but two counties in Colorado waived the work requirement, leaving many more with the ability to get SNAP Benefits.
“The rule is looking to restrict the state's ability to ensure people can continue receiving food assistance benefits past that time limit while they look for work,” said Rose. “There's absolutely no evidence that taking someone's food assistance away helps them find or maintain stable employment it only increases great hardship.”
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