Michigan is among the states expected to be hardest hit by changes announced on Wednesday in the federal food stamp program.
The Trump administration is tightening work requirements to receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
The change will limit the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment in order to receive benefits.
“We’re taking action to reform our SNAP program, in order to restore the dignity of work to a sizable segment of our population and be respectful to the taxpayers who fund the program,” says U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
The changes are expected to knock thousands of Michiganders off the SNAP program.
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) says the focus should instead be on job training opportunities.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program feeds more than 36 million Americans. Scaling back public benefits for low-income Americans has long been a Trump administration priority.
USDA officials say the rule announced on Wednesday would save roughly $5.5 billion over five years.
Benefits would be cut for roughly 688,000 recipients nationwide.
