June 5, 2023
Remember how the debt ceiling bill was supposed to save us all this money – well – the deal cut between Republicans and Democrats may actually increase spending in one particular area by more than two billion dollars.
That’s according to analysis from the non-partisan congressional budget office.
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Here’s what’s going on.
You probably remember during those intense debt ceiling and budget negotiations – one of the biggest republican demands was this idea of increasing the work requirements for people to qualify for programs like the supplemental nutrition assistance program – or SNAP – and the temporary assistance for needy families program (TANF).
Well, every bill that is on track for passage gets a review and a score from the Congressional Budget Office. Including this one. While it’s true the fiscal responsibility act overall will decrease the federal debt by an estimated $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years — the new work requirements for snap recipients will increase government spending by $2.1 billion over those same 10 years.
How?
Generally to qualify for SNAP in the past you had to prove you were working at least 20 hours a week up until the age of 49. Well, the deal that was cut between Republicans and Democrats gradually increases the age to 54 years old. There have always been exceptions to this work requirement for those who are pregnant, have mental of physical limitations or those who live with children.
With this new deal — it’s true the increased age requirement may push hundreds of thousands of people who are currently getting SNAP benefits off the rolls. But the deal also included some new exceptions for those who are not required to prove those 20 hours of work. Those who are now excluded includes veterans, those who are homeless and adults ages 18 to 24 who were previously in foster care. They are now also exempted from those work requirements.
And it’s because of those new exceptions — the Congressional Budget Office says will increase the number of people who qualify for SNAP every month and will ultimately add about $2.1 billion in spending over the next 10 years.
Read the full CBO report here.
Read the CBO letter to Speaker McCarthy here.
