Pres. Trump introduces plan to replace parts of SNAP benefits

President Trump has released his budget plan for 2019 and includes a proposal to replace parts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with Blue Apron type packages. According to Fox Business, the plan would provide nearly 80 percent of active food stamp recipients with boxes of food grown by American farmers instead of standard SNAP aid.

The planned program would be applied to families that receive over $90 in food stamp aid.

Foods which could possibly be included in the proposed food boxes include grains, canned meats, fruits and vegetables, juice, peanut butter and other canned items. The decision would be based on nutrition standards used for other programs including the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Replacing food stamps with packaged food boxes

According to USA Today, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney called this a Blue Apron type program, saying you would receive food instead of the cash. Currently, SNAP allows Americans to spend their aid on food items of their own choice. While the government is rather lenient, the USDA has placed strict rules on what can be bought and does not allow the purchase of alcohol, household goods, pet food among others.

The program dubbed "America's Harvest Box" is reported to save America $129 billion over the next 10 years. The average user receives $127.73 in Food Stamps, according to SNAP website. The proposed food program would cut SNAP benefits by $17 billion next year. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the plan was innovative and bold, highlighting that the food in the packages would be grown by American farmers.

Some are critical of the food box proposal

On Twitter, some Democrats have criticized this plan calling it offensive and a cruel joke. Several grocery industry leaders have also criticized Harvest Box, saying its expensive and inefficient. Questions still remain how these packages will conform to families with different needs such as a family with nut allergies or those who don't eat a certain food for religious or personal beliefs.

Some in the administration have noted that the US Department of Agriculture already distributes these type of packages. Food items are shipped to schools, food banks and other types of organizations. The government still needs to work out a plan to get these boxes to rural and remote homes. Funding for this type of program would be decided by Congress. This new program would need a whole new infrastructure. While the White House continues to work at selling this program to the public and Congress, it's still unclear how these boxes would be delivered.