Food Fight

Debt Ceiling Mandates Impact Indigent GenXers Without Dependents

In a debt ceiling deal reached between President Joe Biden and House Republican Kevin McCarthy, new conditions have been added to food aid that target GenXers without dependents. The deal affects individuals between the ages of 50 and 54 who receive assistance from the Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNAP) and introduces a new 20 hours per week work requirement to qualify for aid. Previously, work requirements for SNAP ended at age 50.

After weeks of negotiations, McCarthy and Biden reached a tentative agreement late on Saturday. The deal now needs to pass through a narrowly divided Congress before the Treasury Department faces a shortage of funds to cover its obligations.

Individuals with dependents, including children under the age of 18, elderly dependents, or those with disabilities, are currently exempt from work requirements and will remain so. The agreement also includes exemptions for veterans and homeless individuals.

Gen Xers, the generation born between 1965 and 1980, numbering approximately 65 million in the U.S., find themselves sandwiched between Baby Boomers and millennials. While this group experienced an increase in wealth during the Trump administration and even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of GenXers living near or below the poverty line are likely to be affected by the new work requirements.

SNAP benefits are available to Americans whose income is below 130% of the federal poverty line, which equates to around $1,500 per month for a one-person household or $2,000 for a two-person household. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that these benefits averaged around $121 per person per month, or approximately $4.00 per person per day.

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