MICHIGAN — Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted, 217-210, to pass H.R. 3102, the “Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act.” The legislation would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $40 billion, and includes other drastic changes. 

The move would affect low income families and individuals across the country, including those in Michigan who benefit from the program. 

Following the House vote, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) said, “For decades, House Republicans and Democrats have always worked together to pass a bipartisan farm bill that addressed the needs of farmers and ranchers, as well as provided funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program.  However, after failure to pass the Farm Bill in June, House Republicans have taken an about-face and stripped the nutrition title from the farm bill with H.R. 3102, the so-called ‘Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act.’ They have instead introduced this separate nutrition bill that essentially takes all of the controversial amendments offered during the farm bill debate earlier this year, added an additional $20 billion cut to SNAP, which would amount to $40 billion in cuts over the next ten years.” 

Conyers went on to say that four to six million people will lose SNAP benefits, if the bill were to become law. He also said it would cause hundreds of thousands of children to lose access to free school lunches.  Additionally, another 1.7 million people in 850,000 households would see their benefits reduced by an average of $90 month. 

The cut to SNAP, outlined in the bill, would include the following provisions: The elimination of categorical eligibility, an incentive for states to cut people off the SNAP program, and a state waiver that eliminates a governor’s option to temporarily waive SNAP’s harsh three-month time limit for childless unemployed adults in areas with high unemployment.