Trump administration seeks to cut food aid for more than six million people

Trump’s proposal builds on earlier cuts to federal food aid programme used by more than 36 million low-income Americans. The administration of United States President Donald Trump has proposed new eligibility requirements for the country’s largest food aid programme that would see some 6.3 million people removed from it.

More than 36 million people are currently enrolled in SNAP, which is the largest federal food aid programme for low-income families. An individual in the programme receives an average of about $190 each month, while a household receives an average monthly benefit of $356 in groceries.

The SNAP programme itself requires that households earn less than 130 percent of the federal government’s poverty level to qualify. Currently, households that qualify for the TANF programme – which has requirements that vary by state and can accommodate households earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level – are also automatically eligible for SNAP.