House leaders unveil new proposal to tackle poverty

Ryan poverty proposals could impact SNAP, TANF

On June 7, House Speaker Paul Ryan and the House Republican Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity and Upward Mobility unveiled a new plan to fight poverty across the country. Ryan appointed five different House committees to lead Task Force, which sought input from all members of the Republican caucus on ways to “strengthen America’s social safety net…and help welfare recipients enter, reenter and remain in the workforce.”

This report represents the first installment of six policy papers expected to be released this summer through Ryan’s A Better Way campaign, which he calls “a full slate of ideas to address some of the biggest challenges of our time.”

The poverty report includes a variety of reforms and proposals aimed at updating federal welfare and support programs. While the paper does not take the form of actual legislation, it does contain a number of proposals that could be beneficial to counties.

The task force recognizes the value of enhancing state and local flexibility throughout the report, especially on issues related to early childhood development and job-training programs. It also focuses on the dividends of early investments in early education programs and supports federal investments to improve the technology local governments use to deliver and track benefits.

However, the report also contains a number of proposals that, while light on details, are concerning to local governments.

For example, the report proposes consolidating a number of federal funding streams, including those for housing and rental assistance, and early childhood development, into single, simplified options. While specific programs or block grants were not mentioned, NACo remains cautious about the potential reduction in resources and flexibility.

Additionally, proposals in the report could alter the way counties administer the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) benefits, and housing and rental assistance by increasing administrative burdens on counties without increasing financial support.

Broadly, the task force’s report represents the first step in a conversation about strengthening America’s commitment to helping those in poverty. Counties play an integral role in funding and delivering many of these services, and are significant intergovernmental partners in these conversations.

To further explain the county role in serving those in poverty, NACo is releasing a new report: Counties Addressing Poverty: Serving the Underserved.

NACo will continue to hold discussions with lawmakers as they consider future legislative proposals and reforms, and work to identify potential specific changes to many of the programs mentioned above. House Republicans are expected to release additional policy papers throughout the summer.