A resolution introduced under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) in the U.S. House of Representatives on December 6 aims to block a new rule governing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirement waivers.

The new rule grants waivers to SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD) only if the unemployment rate is higher than six percent. In the past, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted waivers to states with areas of average unemployment 20 percent above the national average. The rule also prevents states from combining areas of high and low unemployment to receive waivers for larger geographic areas.

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) sponsored the resolution against the new rule and gained 105 Democratic cosponsors as of December 13. Under the CRA, the resolution would need to pass both houses of Congress and receive President Trump’s signature to repeal the guidance.

The Congressional Review Act gives Congress a chance to review and reject any new regulatory rules created by federal administrative agencies. Since the law’s creation in 1996, 17 out of the over 90,767 rules published in the Federal Register during that time have been repealed using the CRA.

To learn more about the Congressional Review Act and its use, click here.

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Additional reading:

Link to the resolution:

Link to the rule in the Federal Register: