Stand Firm Against Democrats' Effort to Increase Welfare Dependency
The end-of-year spending bill paired with pandemic aid being negotiated between House and Senate lawmakers is, what some on Capitol Hill would call “the last train moving.” So it comes as no surprise that Democrats are making a last ditch effort to dramatically increase welfare dependency through the Food Stamp program and kill pro-work policies adopted during the Trump administration. If America is going to escape the closing jaws of socialism and the welfare state, Republican lawmakers need to push back.
The current appropriations agreement funds the Food Stamp program, referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program at $114 billion — an incredible 71 percent increase over last year. The Democrats bloated funding plan isn’t meant just to support families in need during a tough time, it’s also specifically designed to inflate the baseline permanently — guaranteeing massive and unnecessary welfare growth for years to come. The proposed agreement relies on deep state data and fails to even consider that some states are open for business and the rest of the country could soon follow their lead, getting millions of Americans back to work. It banks on the devious Democrat plan to continue shutdowns and force people out of work, and it breaks the bank along the way.
In keeping with their assault on independence, Democrats are pushing for language to kill President Trump’s groundbreaking welfare reform rule that keeps California and other states from exploiting loopholes to sidestep statutory work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents. This reform alone has helped states move millions more able-bodied adults from welfare to work, increasing their incomes by more than double, and is the most impactful welfare reform our nation has seen in a generation. Lawmakers must stand firm in support of work requirements that have helped countless Americans regain their independence.
Democrats are also attempting to hijack the emergency food benefit program for poor children, called “P-EBT,” and turn it into food stamps for all. That program was designed for truly needy families in emergencies, but the Democrat proposal would extend those government benefits to millions more, regardless of their level of income or need.
Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate shouldn’t be on defense during these negotiations, but, instead, should demand more SNAP program integrity reforms to promote work for able-bodied adults and preserve resources for the truly needy. And they can start by repealing “administrative flexibilities” that were recently granted to states to enroll individuals into the SNAP program without following normal eligibility and certification standards and checks. The waivers provided to states were meant to be temporary and reviewed by the USDA, but these new loopholes receive no review and will continue to expose the SNAP program to increased waste, fraud, and abuse.
Congress should also codify a proposed rule by the Office of Personnel Management that would allow states to partner with third-party contractors to help with the administrative processes of their welfare programs. As many states are seeing an increase in welfare applications, this reform would decrease the administrative burden on states and help them verify program eligibility without sacrificing program integrity. Similar flexibilities have been done before, and recently. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allows states staffing flexibility through the pandemic crisis to address the extraordinary demands on state unemployment insurance (UI) programs — a bipartisan solution that’s proved successful.
Wage cross-checks as a condition of increased SNAP funding is another commonsense reform available to lawmakers. As income is becoming more and more fluid for many individuals, states should be required to complete consistent cross-checks of wage records to ensure that those receiving SNAP benefits meet the income requirements on a month-to-month basis.
Democrats have openly fought against efforts to free more Americans from government dependency for the past four years. Now they are using the pandemic as a license to grow welfare permanently. But millions of Americans are looking to make a comeback from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and being stuck on welfare isn’t a comeback. Now is the time for leaders to stand up for the power of work and be an ally to communities that want to rebuild. Until the train leaves the station, it’s not too late for them to do so.
Robin Walker is the federal affairs director for the Foundation for Government Accountability. Sam Adolphsen is the policy director for the Foundation for Government Accountability.
