The debt ceiling bill that President Joe Biden signed into law modifies work requirements for SNAP participants, reports NBC News.
The stricter criteria have changed the age range of participants who need to provide proof of work for 20 hours a week from 18-49 to 18-54. The bill exempts veterans, homeless people, and young people aging out of foster care from the SNAP work requirements.
Conservative leaders assert that tighter requirements are necessary to move the unemployed into the workforce, but according to the report, the issue is complex. For example, in family units with multiple adults, some may be working and others not. Ed Bolen at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a democratic-leaning think tank, shares that adults not working often do other forms of labor, like childcare or elderly care.
Other issues are related to gig workers and those with jobs that have unpredictable scheduling. These workers may not get the SNAP support they need.
“It could be that you’re cycling through jobs. It could be that your hours go up or down. It could be that you make overtime, you lose overtime,” Edwards said. Full Story
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