Change in Food Stamp Rule Could Make Hundreds of Virgin Islanders Ineligible for Assistance

The Trump administration will soon implement rules meant to tighten work requirements for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, which could potentially render hundreds of Virgin Islanders ineligible for assistance by mid-2020. Last week, the administration said it had completed a new rule curbing states’ (and possibly U.S. territories) ability to shield adults without dependents from federal work requirements tied to receiving assistance through the program formerly administered via food stamps. Officials say the rule, which takes effect April 1, 2020, will save the government billions of dollars and encourage more people to work at a time when jobless rates are near a 50-year low on the U.S. mainland, according to the Wall Street Journal. WSJ said the rule is the first to take effect among several Trump administration proposals to restrict access to SNAP, which provides aid to 36.4 million people. The U.S. Department of Agricultur...