Share Our Strength's Lisa Davis on the impact of the White House rule to restrict Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility
Contact: Meredith Jorss at 202.769.5554 or mjorss@strength.org
Washington, D.C. – This morning, the White House released a proposed rule to restrict a policy known as Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE), which helps low-income families and kids receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if they're already qualified for other anti-poverty programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Under this rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 3 million people will lose SNAP benefits. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis on the detrimental impact this proposed rule would have on children and families across the country.
“Rolling back Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility will increase hunger and hardship for struggling families with children.
BBCE helps working poor families move toward financial security, easing the benefits cliff as their earnings increase. Eliminating it would hit hundreds of thousands of low-income kids with a double whammy – lost meals both at home and at school – directly increasing childhood hunger.
With millions of families struggling to move out of poverty, it’s short-sighted and counterintuitive to roll back a policy that encourages and supports work. Congress rejected restricting BBCE in the bipartisan Farm Bill passed last year and we urge the Administration to uphold this decision.”
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility encourages and supports work and helps low-income families build financial stability and move toward self-sufficiency. Learn more:
- Share Our Strength blog post containing oral testimony as given by Senior Vice President Lisa Davis to the House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations about the changes to Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility.
- Share Our Strength written testimony as provided to the House Committee on Agriculture, titled “Protecting Children’s Access to School Meals by Maintaining Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility in SNAP.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org