The Left Foot October 31
By Vincent Smith, The Left Foot Host
On the very special Halloween edition of The Left Foot, hosts Vincent Smith and Zach Herbster discuss the food stamp asset test in the state of Pennsylvania, and if it will be revoked in the future.
The asset test prevents households with members above or below the age of 60 from receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program if they have assets totaling above $5,500 and $9,000 respectively. Many have been against this initiative, which was enacted by former Department of Public Welfare Secretary Gary Alexander last year in an effort to reduce the amount of “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the system.
But the new DPW Secretary, Beverly Mackereth, seems to be in favor of eliminating the test. The asset test requires extensive information, causing many families and households to be denied benefits due to lack of documentation.
“My focus is not waste, fraud, and abuse,” Mackereth said. “My primary focus is getting services to people who are entitled to them.”
With very few documented cases of fraud in Pennsylvania, is the asset test really necessary? Is it accomplishing what it set out to accomplish? What are the negative side effects of continuing such an initiative?
Vince and Zach discuss possible solutions, different perspectives, and the future of welfare programs in this episode of The Left Foot.
