Federal move to tighten work requirements for food stamps stirs worry about village hunger

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has drawn alarm from food security advocates in Alaska because it would make it tougher to waive work requirements for food stamps. Some are concerned about the impact that would have on people who live in subsistence-dependent villages where there are few jobs.For years, Alaska has had a waiver that means recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also known as food stamps — are exempt from a rule about how much able-bodied adults without dependents have to participate in an employment program to get assistance.In some villages that depend on subsistence, cash economies are weak and there are not enough full-time jobs to employ all the adults. Residents contribute to the community food supply by hunting, fishing, gathering and sharing. Food stamps help supplement that subsistence diet.Earlier versions of the farm bill sought such changes to SNAP, but they didn’t make it into the final bill passed in December. The USDA is now proposing the change related to work requirements through a rule the agency announced on Dec. 20.The proposed rule would make it harder for states to get the statewide waiver, said Monica Windom, director of the Alaska Division of Public Assistance.