Giving Compass' Take:

• Emails show that the Trump administration is planning to allow states to drug test food stamps users, in spite of the facts that several attempts to do so have been struck down by courts. 

• Does the use of drug tests for welfare recipients violate citizen's constitutional rights? What are the costs and benefits of drug testing welfare recipients? 

• Learn how the federal safety net changed in 2017. 

The Trump administration plans to allow states to require drug testing for food stamps recipients, the Associated Press reported April 11th. The report cites internal emails that show United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have been preparing for an announcement since February.

If and when that announcement comes, it will be a big deal. For months, we’ve been reporting on the efforts made by conservative politicians to limit access to the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP)—the $70-billion program which provides food assistance to over 40 million Americans. Some states, including Maine, have tried to make junk foodineligible for purchase under SNAP. And recent developments suggest that lawmakers on both sides are tangling over the program’s vast cost as farm bill negotiations heat up on Capitol Hill.

But the development reported by AP follows from a story we’ve been covering since 2017: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s plan to limit SNAP access by making drug-testing a requirement for some recipients.

Current federal rules prohibit states from imposing additional requirements on SNAP-eligible families, and previous attempts to do so have not fared well in the courts. Florida passed a SNAP drug-testing law in 2011, but a federal appeals court struck it down in 2014, arguing that the requirement was a form of unreasonable search.

Read the full article about drug testing for food stamps users by Joe Fassler and Sam Bloch at The New Food Economy