Trump 2020 budget calls for stricter work requirements, welfare reform
Brian Brenberg, associate professor at The King’s College, discusses how the U.S. trade deficit hit a record high and President Trump’s 2020 budget proposal.
President Trump released his fiscal 2020 budget on Monday, which – among a number of other things – called for reforming the country’s welfare programs.
Trump’s blueprint strengthens work requirements for social programs designed to help lower-income Americans – like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also referred to as food stamps), Medicaid and housing assistance.
Trump’s blueprint aims to strengthen work requirements for social programs designed to help lower-income Americans – like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also referred to as food stamps), Medicaid and housing assistance.
Able-bodied individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 will generally be required to work at least 20 hours per week in order to receive assistance, or be engaged in job training or community service, according to senior administration officials.
The proposal does contain a hardship exemption, White House officials said.
Concerning Medicaid specifically, the president wants to return the program to a “sustainable fiscal path” by instituting finance reform. That includes implementing a per capita cap or block grant.
Crop insurance would also be reduced.
Additionally, the president wants to continue his America’s Harvest Box proposal, which is a potential SNAP replacement that would provide boxes of nonperishable food items grown by U.S. farmers in place of some of their SNAP aid.
Overall welfare reform efforts are expected to generate $327 billion in revenue over the course of 10 years.
The president had backed a Republican-led effort to include stricter SNAP work requirements in a massive farm bill passed last year. However, the issue became a sticking point during Senate negotiations and was ultimately omitted from the final legislation.
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Trump signed an executive order last year focusing on ways to beef up SNAP work requirements. Since the beginning of 2018, states have been allowed to implement a work requirement for Medicaid.
The budget calls for a 5 percent increase in military spending. Administration officials said the proposed budget, along with the last two budget proposals, contain more reductions in spending than any president has ever proposed. It includes trillions of dollars' worth of spending reductions.
Fox News' John Roberts contributed to this report.