House Speaker McCarthy’s plan to raise the debt ceiling includes stricter job requirements for essential social welfare programs.
Given the Democrat’s control of the Senate and President Joe Biden’s insistence on a clean increase in the debt ceiling without accompanying conditions, the proposal as it stands faces long odds.
What’s Under the Proposal Bill?
The Limit, Save, and Grow Act, proposed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, would raise the nation’s borrowing limit (also known as the debt ceiling) by $1.5 trillion, but only until March 31, 2024. In exchange, the discretionary expenditure would be reduced to its levels in fiscal year 2022.
McCarthy’s measure would increase the number of non-child SNAP beneficiaries who are subject to stricter job requirements. South Dakota Republican Representative Dusty Johnson recently sponsored legislation based on this notion.
Current law mandates that anyone receiving food stamps between the ages of 16 and 59 must be actively seeking employment, engaged in a SNAP employment training program, or earning at least the federal minimum wage for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Physically capable 18-49-year-olds without dependents must work. Unemployment and other conditions may allow some states to waive these criteria.
They must work, train, or volunteer 80 hours every month.
People in this age range who don’t work and don’t qualify for an exemption can only receive food stamps (now called SNAP) for three months every three years.
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Opposition to Age Modification
Anti-hunger and elderly advocates oppose age modification. AARP 2020 showed that 20% of SNAP recipients are 50 or older.
The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that approximately one million of McCarthy’s recipients are 50–55.
The AARP and Center for Budget and Policy Priorities say raising the minimum age to work will only make age discrimination in the workplace worse.
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