Catholic Social Justice Lobby: President Trump’s SNAP Rule is Punitive and Unjust

For Immediate Release: December 4, 2019
Contact: Lee Morrow, lmorrow@networklobby.org, 202-601-7871

Catholic Social Justice Lobby: President Trump’s SNAP Rule is Punitive and Unjust
Sr. Quincy: “This rule is an end run around the bipartisan Congressional process and a punitive attack on people living in poverty.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Trump administration issued a final rule that would weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — one of the nation’s most powerful and effective poverty reduction programs. Approximately 700,000 working families will go hungry if the Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture goes through with implementing the rule, slated to take effect on April 1, 2020. Congressional or court intervention is needed to prevent the rule enacting undue harm and injustice on the nation’s most vulnerable populations. NETWORK issued the following statement:

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, Government Relations Specialist for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:

“Many low wage workers struggle to make ends meet and rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. With this rule, the Trump Administration is moving to punish hard working families and individuals who work irregular hours, are involuntarily part-time, are unable to access opportunities for career advancement, or live in areas with a struggling local economy. If this rule goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of people would lose access to life-saving nutritional benefits and potentially go hungry. Any policy that knowingly harms people in poverty contradicts the teachings of my faith.

“The 115th Congress reviewed and reauthorized the SNAP program in the 2018 Farm Bill. After a full debate and multiple votes in both chambers, Congress rejected adoption of these new requirements. This rule is an end run around the bipartisan Congressional process and a punitive attack on people living in poverty who are disproportionately Black, Latinx, and women. NETWORK will continue to call for the Department of Agriculture to rescind its recent proposals scaling back SNAP, which are at odds with everything the Scripture teaches about helping those in need.”

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NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a 46-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org