About 300 people in Chouteau, Hill, Blaine and Liberty counties are in danger of losing food stamp benefits on April 1, 2020.
The cuts would largely affect single, able-bodied people between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no dependents. They would only be eligible for food stamps for three months out of every three years.
The reductions are part of President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce costs in the program by reducing aid to people deemed by the administration not to need assistance.
The administration is also proposing changes in the food stamp program — now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — that would affect senior citizens, younger people and those living in colder, northern climates. Those changes are now open for public comment and will not take effect for some time.
There are existing restrictions on able-bodied people receiving SNAP benefits, but 30 counties, including the four Hi-Line counties in Montana have waivers from that restriction, said Jon Ebelt, public information officer for the Montana Department of Health and Human Services.
The new waivers are more strict. Early next year, DPHHS will determine if any of the Montana counties remain eligible for waivers.
Factors to be considered are economic conditions in the county, the unemployment rate in the area, and the availability of new jobs.
The unemployment rate is relatively low in the Hi-Line counties, but the rates on the two Native American reservations, Rocky Boy and Fort Belknap, are much higher. Fort Belknap often has a monthly unemployment rate lower than the 10 percent rate set by the administrator, though tribal leaders insist that the actual rate is much higher. In November, as per the Department of Labor, Fort Belknap had an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent. Rocky Boy had a 10.3 percent 12.5 jobless rate in November.
The Trump administration finalized the rule changes on Dec 4, and they will take effect April 1.
Supporters of the president’s action contend that although it was well-intentioned, the SNAP program has grown out of control, even as the national economy strengthened.
But opponents fear that some deserving people will lose benefits, especially those who provide food to their children even though they don’t have legal custody.
Ebelt echoed those concerns.
The state is required to provide a certified job training site for SNAP recipients. Montana has three, but none are within driving distance of the Hi-Line.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., opposed Trump’s actions, saying it offered a “one size fits all solution to SNAP problems.”
“The fact is, these new regulations will leave more Americans hungry, do nothing to help folks find stable, long-term jobs and ignore a bipartisan majority of senators who rejected a similar proposal in the 2018 Farm Bill,” Tester said in a statement. “We need to improve nutrition assistance programs for working Montana families, not make it harder for them to put food on the table.”
The other two members of Montana’s congressional delegation, Rep. Greg Guanforte, R-Mont., and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., did not return calls seeking comment.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to replace October’s available unemployment numbers for Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy with November’s.
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Email John Kelleher at [email protected]
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