"Denying them basic food and nutrition is not the route that a fair and compassionate administration of either party should take."
Organizations that combat hunger argue SNAP's intention is to provide nutrition, not employment.
Many on SNAP are poor, live predominantly in rural areas, and frequently battle mental-health issues and disabilities.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Food Assistance Policy Vice President, Stacy Dean, said:
"The policy targets very poor people struggling to work some of whom are homeless or living with health conditions. Taking away basic food assistance from these individuals will only increase hardship and hunger, while doing nothing to help them find steady full-time work."
But this is only the first of three changes to the food-stamp program.
Two additional "reforms" seeks to alter the way 40 states automatically enroll families in SNAP when they receive other federal aid and cap deductions intended for housing and utility costs considered when people apply for benefits.
An Urban Institute study reports in an average month 3.7 million fewer people would receive SNAP; average monthly benefits for 2.2 million households would drop by $127; more than three million others would lose $37 per month; and 982,000 students would lose free or reduced lunch.
Urban Institute senior fellow, Laura Wheaton, who conducted the study, told NBC News:
"What we found is that overall the three proposed changes would reduce the number of households participating in SNAP by about 11 percent if this was implemented in 2018. It's about a 9.4 percent reduction in the number of people participating and about an 8 percent reduction in overall benefits."
Deputy Under Secretary for the USDA Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, Brandon Lipps, did not comment on when the department would finalize the other two proposed rules.
President of the Food Research and Action Center, James D Weill, called the plan "deeply flawed and ill-conceived," adding:
"The final rule would cause serious harm to individuals, communities and the nation while doing nothing to improve the health and employment of those impacted by the rule. In addition, the rule would harm the economy, grocery retailers, agricultural producers, and communities by reducing the amount of SNAP dollars available to spur local economic activity."
Despite Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue's assertion "We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand, but not allowing it to become an infinitely giving hand," University of Illinois professor of agriculture and consumer economics, Craig Gundersen, stated in an April interview with NPR there is no evidence to suggest food stamps discourage work.
Two years ago, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stated the White House sought to impose fees on retailers participating in SNAP by assessing fees when stores sign up, and requiring renewal every five years.
The Trump administration is proposing $191 billion in cuts to the food-stamp program over the next decade, and it expects states to compensate for lost funding.
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