The agreement between the Biden Administration and the Republicans, led by the leader of that majority in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, contemplates additional work requirements for some beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP formerly known as “food stamps”.
The agreement that could put an end to weeks of deadlock on the debt ceiling issue proposes increasing the work requirements for healthy adults without dependents in government assistance programs such as the one mentioned.
In this way, Republicans anticipate that more people would enter the labor market and pay taxes, which would help sustain this and other programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
While there aren’t many details on the scope of the change, the provision is expected to raise the current job requirement age from 49 to 54.
The tightening of the requirements does not satisfy many Democrats who believe that the provision will reduce the number of Americans who could buy food or who would be eligible for the program.
House Republicans approved legislation that would establish new work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, an issue that has not been included in the tentative agreement.
Despite the above, Biden called on both chambers to approve the project.
“The agreement prevents the worst possible crisis. I strongly urge both houses (of Congress) to approve this agreement,” Biden said.
Asked if Democrats might think he conceded too much to Republicans during the bargaining process, the president replied: “They’ll realize I didn’t.”
McCarthy, for his part, anticipated that the House will vote on the proposal on Wednesday, giving the Senate time to do the same before the June 5 deadline. If by that day there is no agreement approved by both bodies, the United States could default on its debt obligations and money transfers to federal programs, among other procedures.
The agreement that the Congrego will evaluate would keep non-defense spending relatively stable in fiscal year 2024 and would increase it by 1% the following year. It also foresees an increase in the debt limit of two years, beyond the next presidential elections in 2024, a source familiar with the processes who asked to remain anonymous confirmed to the chain.
The Noticias Telemundo report also highlights that, through the agreement, medical care for veterans will be financed in line with the proposed budget proposed by Biden for 2024. The financing includes a fund dedicated to ex-servicemen who have been exposed to toxic substances or environmental risks.
Additionally, the document introduces changes to the National Environmental Policy Law to establish a single main agency in charge of designing inspections of this type in order to streamline processes.
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