Congress is considering detrimental and long-lasting changes to the ways our society helps people with low incomes pay for food, medical care, and other necessities.
Administration and congressional leaders want to give states more autonomy in how they run the SNAP (food stamp) and Medicaid programs. They propose giving states yearly lump sums, known as block grants, to address hunger and poverty, rather than providing federally guaranteed assistance to low-income individuals and families.
Turning entitlement programs into block grants is a bad idea. Replacing essential elements of the safety net with block grant programs steps our country back from a national commitment to care for and support those who are struggling in our communities.
Here are three reasons why this change makes it more difficult for people to get help:
When the economy sours, people who need help may not be able to get it. Funding for safety net programs is intentionally flexible so that it can respond to economic shifts. If a recession hits and more people qualify for assistance, funding automatically increases to compensate. In contrast, block grants are based on past economic indicators, not current on-the-ground realities. If need suddenly increases, states may not have the budget to help everyone who qualifies. At the very time that more people need assistance, states have to cut back, leaving families without the support that could help them get back on their feet.
The help someone gets depends on where they live. Block grants shift decision-making power to states, often letting them determine who is eligible for assistance and how much those people receive. This shift leads to geographic disparities in who receives help. It shouldn’t matter if someone is struggling to feed their children in Texas, Iowa, or Florida: they should be able to access reliable support.
Block grants create incentives for states to help fewer people. If states have money left over in their block grant, they often can spend it on other priorities. This gives states incentives to restrict eligibility, freeing up money for programs that don’t necessarily benefit people with low incomes.
Members of Congress are considering fundamental changes to programs that ensure that basic living standards are in reach for everyone. They need to hear from you. This is an opportunity to affirm the value of federal initiatives that enable low-income families and vulnerable populations to put food on the table, access health care, live with dignity, and have opportunities for economic mobility. Programs such as SNAP and Medicaid can be improved. They should not, however, be dismantled—and that is what replacing them with block grant programs would begin to do.