[V]ermont’s Department for Children and Families is opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to restrict eligibility for food stamps, saying the changes could cut off benefits worth $7.5 million to about 5,200 households in the state.
“We believe that the families that would be impacted really need this benefit,” DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz said Wednesday.
Planned rule changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as 3SquaresVT in Vermont, would also affect schools. Children whose families participate in the program are automatically eligible for free and reduced meals at school, and the changes could potentially impact over 4,600 Vermont children.
Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that a little over 3 million people would lose food assistance if the changes go into effect.
Trump administration officials have argued they are simply fixing a “loophole” to ensure the program only helps those who properly qualify. But critics, including Vermont officials, say the changes will hurt the poor and counterproductively incentivize low-income people not to save money.
“The American people expect their government to be fair, efficient, and to have integrity,” USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. “That is why we are changing the rules, preventing abuse of a critical safety net system, so those who need food assistance the most are the only ones who receive it.”
Existing rules allow states to waive some eligibility criteria in certain situations. Schatz says that’s not a loophole – it’s flexibility that allows states to build programs with a local context in mind.
“When we look at the cost of living in Vermont – it’s relatively high,” Schatz said.
To qualify for food stamps, a family’s income must fall below a certain amount. And certain households cannot have assets – like savings – that exceed $3,500 or $2,500, depending on the family’s composition. But many states, including Vermont, waive the requirement that a family’s assets fall below those caps.
Nicole Tousignant, the senior policy and operations director at DCF, said the caps on assets set by the federal government are out of step with many people’s expenses.
“Those levels are extremely low. They wouldn’t even allow you, if you owned a home, to have enough to pay your property taxes, potentially,” she said.
Under one of the proposed changes, for example, a family of two in which at least one member is disabled with a net annual income of $16,910 will no longer qualify for benefits if it has savings worth over $3,500.
“It requires people to become financially destitute before they reach out for help,” said Faye Mack, the advocacy and education director at Hunger Free Vermont.
Hunger Free Vermont is leading a public campaign to push back on the changes. The nonprofit encourages Vermonters to submit feedback to the USDA on the rules by Sept. 23.
The changes could also have a profound trickle-down effects on schools.
“If the number of families who qualifies for SNAP benefits decreases, that could impact the number of schools who are able to provide free meals to all students,” said Agency of Education spokesperson Kate Connizzo.
Children whose families no longer qualify for 3SquaresVT will lose automatic enrollment in the free and reduced lunch program offered by schools. While those students might still qualify, they will have to submit a separate application, and school officials often complain that paperwork gets in the way of low-income families accessing beneficial programs.
Meanwhile, eligibility for a slew of federal grants and programs often depend on how many children in a school qualify for free and reduced lunch. If the number of children in any given school who are eligible dip below a certain rate, that school might suddenly find itself ineligible for such programs as fresh fruit and vegetable grants or discounted internet access. Teachers who work at those schools could also lose access to loan forgiveness programs.
When 40% or more of the students at a school or group of schools are directly certified for free meals, then the school can also provide universal free meals.
