Washington December 4, 2019 – Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the news the administration finalized a rule that would cut nearly 700,000 people from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps, almost 200,000 of those in California.
“The Trump administration’s rule change will deny food stamps to hundreds of thousands of Americans who are having trouble finding a job and making ends meet. The Urban Institute estimates that 198,000 people just in California will suffer from this policy.
“This decision to block assistance when it’s most needed is heartless and just doesn’t make sense.
“States currently can receive waivers to provide food stamps to individuals having trouble finding a job. By limiting those waivers, the federal government ignores the fact that different states face unique situations and need flexibility to best serve their residents.
“Congress soundly rejected this plan on a bipartisan basis when it passed the Farm Bill less than a year ago. By taking this action, the administration is ignoring congressional intent in order to shred our social safety net system.
“America is a generous country that should do more to help the most vulnerable, not less. Removing hundreds of thousands of out-of-work Americans from the food stamp program isn’t reflective of our values.”