WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, denounced the Trump Administration’s final rule announced Wednesday that changes the conditions under which states apply for waivers of the work requirement for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This new rule would disproportionally affect part-time workers and seasonal holiday employees with unreliable hours. An estimated 30,000 Marylanders could be affected.

“Congress has repeatedly, with bipartisan supermajorities, shown its compassion for Americans in need, rather than impose draconian work rules that will force over 750,000 individuals to lose benefits. Most Americans who receive SNAP benefits already are working, but they do not make enough to make ends meet for their families. This is a tragedy in itself, but now, President Trump’s heartless proposal will hurt families and our local economies by taking away the states’ abilities to determine what works best for their population.”

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