Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., received pushback Thursday after claiming her family “might’ve just starved” had the Trump administration’s tightened requirements for food stamp recipients been in place when her father died in 2008.
Critics claimed the freshman congresswoman misrepresented the new rules, pointing out that they apply only to childless, able-bodied adults under 50.
The Agriculture Department (USDA) finalized the first of three proposed rules targeting the Supplemental Nutrition Program, known as SNAP. The plan announced Wednesday will limit states from exempting work-eligible adults from having to maintain steady employment in order to receive benefits.
Ocasio-Cortez, 30, responded to the announcement on Twitter on Thursday: