Limiting States’ Ability to Waive Federal SNAP Work Requirements: A Closer Look at the Potential Implications
A proposed rule change to the food stamp (SNAP) program would alter the way in which states can exempt local areas from federal work requirements by restricting waivers to those areas with a local unemployment rate of 7 percent or higher. But, as our latest research brief demonstrates, the labor market conditions faced by those most likely to be subject to work requirements are substantially worse than the 7-percent floor. The local employment prospects for those potentially affected by this new rule vary widely among subgroups at higher risk, including women, non-white individuals, and those with a high-school education or less. Many of those affected may be unable to find adequate work to meet the rule's new work requirements.