The Trump administration is moving toward imposing stricter work requirements on the federal food stamp program.
On Friday, the Department of Agriculture will begin seeking public comments on how to toughen work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
To be clear, the program already imposes work requirements. Able-bodied adults with no children can only get SNAP for three months within a three-year period if they don't work at least 80 hours a month, or participate in an education, training, or workforce program.
But states can waive those requirements if unemployment is 10 percent or higher or there's an insufficient number of jobs.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the 2019 budget would cut the food stamp program by more than $213 billion over the next 10 years.
