The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aka food stamps, keeps food in the pantries of 42 million Americans. But that number may soon shrink if House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway's proposed farm bill becomes law. An analysis produced by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that about two million people will lose benefits if Congress enacts stringent new work requirements outlined by Conaway. Able-bodied SNAP recipients ages 18 to 59 with no children under the age of 6 would have to prove every month that they are working at least 20 hours a week or are enrolled in school, a requirement that adds hours of unpaid labor to an individual's existing workload.
The bill, which Conaway will bring before the committee on April 18, also implements harsh penalties for families who make simple paperwork errors. The first error costs a household one year of aid.
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