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Whitmer: 144,000 Michiganders would lose access to food stamps under Trump proposal

Whitmer's office said 85,446 adults and 58,743 children in Michigan would lose access to food assistance under the proposal.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this July 26, 2019, file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a session at the National Governor's Association conference in Salt Lake City. Five Democratic governors of states in the Great Lakes region want candidates in next year's presidential election, including President Trump, to back a plan for protecting their freshwater resources. Led by Whitmer, the governors on Monday, July 29, 2019, proposed a six-point platform that seeks increases in federal spending on water treatment infrastructure and environmental cleanups. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File)

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is leading a coalition of 17 governors who oppose the USDA's proposal to cut the federal food stamp program. 

She, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, are heading up the group, which sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday. 

About 3.1 million people would lose food stamp benefits under the Trump administration's proposal to tighten automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program. 

The Agriculture Department said that the rule would close "a loophole" that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be eligible automatically for food stamps without undergoing further checks on their income or assets. 

A release from Whitmer's office said eliminating the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility from the food stamps program would result in 85,446 adults and 58,743 children in Michigan losing access to food assistance. 

“If we want to lift people out of poverty and grow our economy, we must work together to ensure they have the support they need, not make deep cuts that make it harder for them to provide for their families and save for the future,” said Whitmer.

“We’re joining together to fight back against this attack on low-income Americans to protect access to healthy food for hundreds of thousands of low-income families, children, people with disabilities, the elderly, farmers and food producers. It's time for the President and Secretary Perdue to do the right thing and rescind this proposal on behalf of hardworking families everywhere.”

RELATED: USDA rule would cut food stamp benefits for 3.1 million

RELATED: USDA moves to tighten work requirements for food stamps

The proposed rule is the latest in the Trump administration's efforts to cut back on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP, the official name of the food stamp program. It also has proposed to tighten work requirements for those who receive federal food assistance.  

In the letter Whitmer and the other governors signed, they said those who would be most impacted by these cuts would be individuals with disabilities and the elderly. 

"As governors, we strongly urge you to rescind this proposed rule," said the letter. 

See the letter here

An unpublished version of the proposed rule acknowledges the impact, saying it "may also negatively impact food security and reduce the savings rates among those individuals who do not meet the income and resource eligibility requirements for SNAP or the substantial and ongoing requirements for expanded categorical eligibility." 

The governors mention that in their letter, saying, "We can all agree that no one should be forced to go hungry in the U.S, especially children. Yet, the Department’s analysis acknowledges that its proposal may worsen hunger at a time when nearly 16 percent of households with children are experiencing food insecurity."

When the Trump administration announced the plan in July, Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow blasted it. She called the proposal "yet another attempt by this administration to circumvent Congress" and that the effect would be to "take food away from families, prevent children from getting school meals, and make it harder for states to administer food assistance." 

Under the proposal, to qualify for automatic eligibility, people would have to get at least $50 a month in benefits from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for a minimum of six months.

Perdue said the change is necessary for "preventing abuse of a critical safety net system so those who need food assistance the most are the only ones who receive it."

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