U.S. Sen. Smith Weighs in on SNAP Rule Change
Last week we brought you reactions from the PRISM food shelf to the Trump administration’s plans to change the rules for accessing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Under the new guidelines, it’ll become much harder for people to receive SNAP benefits unless they’re employed or in a region with greater than 6 percent unemployment.
Friday Senator Tina Smith was at Second Harvest in Brooklyn Park packing apples for families in need. She says the changes are unwarranted.
“It’s hard not to see it as just plain mean,” she said. “I mean in my mind making it harder for people to get the food that they need is not a good way to get people jobs and to employ people. What we ought to do is to make sure that people get the skills and the training that they need so that they can support themselves and their family.”
Smith said last year when House Republicans tried to limit access to food assistance, a bipartisan effort stopped it. She’s hopeful that will happen again this year.
