After the recent news about a bill before the U.S. House of Representatives that would cut funding for #SNAP by $20 billion over the next ten years while imposing strict new eligibility standards, I'd gotten to thinking about the last year in regard to social services.
The past year has seen a steady dismantling of the social safety net in the United States. Under the current administration, a series of policy decisions have been made that come along with strict assistance requirements. These kinds of restrictions cut across healthcare, food, housing, and cash assistance and run contrary to historical evidence against mandating work requirements. Finding and securing work under stricter requirements is far more difficult, not to mention the fact that work (or lack thereof) is the reason so many people find themselves in need of such assistance in the first place. Programs like TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid help people experiencing poverty get through hardships that can make maintaining employment exceedingly difficult - like mental illness, disability, domestic violence, etc..
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