US House looks to hike work requirements for food aid

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House lawmakers on Monday laid out a plan to increase work requirements for some recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food aid benefits, and to eventually require states to share more of the cost of the program, according to the farm committee bill text.

The House Agriculture Committee proposal would also restrict future increases to SNAP benefits that outpace inflation and would narrow the ability of states to waive work requirements during periods of high unemployment.

The proposal advances the committee's efforts to achieve $230 billion in savings, part of the Republican plan to pass a sweeping budget package in line with President Donald Trump's agenda.

More than 41 million Americans receive benefits from SNAP, the nation's largest food aid program.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Sonali Paul)