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Trump Administration's Own Study Shows Food Stamp Move May Hurt Poor

Reuters

   WASHINGTON -- A Trump administrationproposal to tighten eligibility for
   food stamps could undercutaccess to basic nutrition for millions of
   Americans and hurtsome low-cost retailers, according to an analysis
   conducted bythe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which runs
   theprogram.

   The study clashes with the administration's defense of theproposed rule
   change, unveiled Tuesday, which it said wouldend widespread abuse of
   the Supplemental Nutrition AssistanceProgram (SNAP) by Americans
   withsufficientresources.

   "The proposed rule may also negatively impact food securityand reduce
   the savings rates among those individuals who do notmeet the income and
   resource eligibility requirements for SNAP,"the Agriculture Department
   said in the text of the rulepublished in the federal registry.

   The USDA research also said retailers would see a drop intheir sales as
   a result of the proposed change. "All retailerswould likely see a drop
   in the amount of SNAP benefits redeemedat stores if these provisions
   were finalized," it said.

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