Judge issues injunction blocking new SNAP rules

By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer

A March 13 injunction in Washington, D.C. U.S. District Court blocked the Trump administration’s recent rule change that would have eliminated SNAP assistance for close to 700,000 Americans, including approximately 49,000 Louisianans.

The rule change required Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) aged 18-49 to work for at least 80 hours per month to receive SNAP benefits, unless they qualified for another exemption.

U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell handed down the decision.

In her ruling, she called the change “arbitrary and capricious.” She also highlighted concerns about the global coronavirus pandemic and how it will affect the economy and workforce.

“Especially now, as a global pandemic poses widespread health risks, guaranteeing that government officials at both the federal and state levels have flexibility to address the nutritional needs of the residents and ensure their well-being through programs like SNAP, is essential,” Howell wrote.

The SNAP change will be blocked from taking effect until a lawsuit of 19 states plus the District of Columbia and New York City reaches its conclusion.

“At a time of national crisis, this decision is a win for common sense and basic human decency,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement.

Anti-hunger advocates praised the court’s decision.

“This is a significant win for people in Louisiana who are struggling to keep food on their tables – especially now, with the coronavirus making it more difficult for people to find and keep a job,” said Danny Mintz, an anti-hunger policy advocate with the Louisiana Budget Project. “With this order, the court recognizes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture can’t arbitrarily sidestep the will of Congress and the concerns of the public in order to kick hundreds of thousands of people off of food assistance. The court’s order will stop significant suffering while the case against the new rule goes forward.”

Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization, echoed Mintz’s sentiments.

“The suspension of the proposed changes to tighten the availability of waivers for SNAP work requirements and strict time limits is critical, given the rapidly evolving loss of employment on the ground in so many areas,” Waxman said. “It’s increasingly unrealistic that people in many areas would be able to consistently meet the requirement of at least 20 hours per week, given the widespread closure of many businesses. In addition, it may be challenging for public assistance offices to conduct the types of documentation activities that they would normally undertake (e.g. face-to-face meetings). And these offices may need to increasingly prioritize time for newly eligible applicants.”

This article originally published in the March 23, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.