Trump proposal seeks to crack down on food stamp 'loophole'

Residents signing up for food stamps in Minnesota are provided a brochure about domestic violence, but it doesn't matter if they even read the pamphlet.

The mere fact it was made available could allow them to qualify for government food aid if their earnings or savings exceed federal limits. As odd as that might sound, it's not actually unusual.

Thirty-eight other states also have gotten around federal income or asset limits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by using federal welfare grants to produce materials informing food stamp applicants about other available social services.

Illinois, for example, produced a flyer briefly listing 21 services, a website and email address and a telephone number for more information.

The tactic was encouraged by former President Barack Obama's administration as a way for states to route federal food aid to households that might not otherwise qualify under a strict enforcement of federal guidelines.

Now President Donald Trump's administration is proposing to end the practice potentially eliminating food stamps for more than 3 million of the nation's 36 million recipients.

The proposed rule change, outlined this past week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has highlighted the ideological clash between Trump's attempts to tighten government entitlement programs and efforts in some states to widen the social safety net.

It's also stirred outrage and uncertainty among some who stand to be affected.

"I think it's pretty rotten," said Lisa Vega, a single mother of two teenage boys in suburban Chicago who applied for food stamps last month after losing her job.

Because she receives regular support payments from her ex-husband, Vega said her eligibility for food stamps likely hinges on the income eligibility exceptions that Trump's administration is trying to end.

"A lot of these politicians don't realize that us Americans out here are living paycheck to paycheck, one crisis away from being homeless," Vega said.

"You're just going to take this kind of stuff away from us when we need it the most?" Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the proposed rule change is intended to close a "loophole" that states have misused to "effectively bypass important eligibility guidelines."