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September 23, 2019<\/p>\n
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Media contact: National Consumers League \u2013 Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (412) 945-3242\u00a0or Taun Sterling, tauns@nclnet.org, (202)\u00a0207-2832<\/span><\/p>\n Washington, DC\u2014<\/span>Today, t<\/span>he National Consumers League (NCL) submitted written comments opposing the USDA\u2019s Proposed Rule<\/a>: Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), arguing that the proposed policy change would impact millions who qualify for the federal program\u00a0that is the nation\u2019s first line of defense against hunger.<\/p>\n \u201cOur organization is deeply concerned that the proposed changes would deprive an estimated 3.1 million people<\/a> of access to this vital program and cause 500,000 children<\/a> to lose their automatic eligibility for free or subsidized school lunch. This proposed rule may potentially worsen hunger among low-income households, harm local economies, and increase SNAP administrative costs,\u201d wrote NCL in the comments.<\/p>\n Low-income households receiving cash assistance from Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or General Assistance have long been considered automatically (or \u201ccategorically) eligible for SNAP<\/a>, which means they do not separately have to pass SNAP\u2019s asset or gross income tests.<\/p>\n Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the proposed rule change is intended to close a \u201cloophole\u201d that states have misused to \u201ceffectively bypass important eligibility guidelines.\u201d However, that\u2019s simply not the case. Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) allows states to cover the gap between income and need by considering cost of living, wages, and other local economic conditions when determining people’s eligibility for SNAP.<\/p>\n The National Consumers League strongly opposes the proposed rule that would expose even more people to the arbitrary food cutoff policy.<\/p>\n
![3.1 million people<\/a> of access to this vital program and cause](\"https:\/\/fns-prod.azureedge.net\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/image\/BBCE-Fact-Sheet-1.jpg\"){kind=link}