Governor Insists Food Stamps Come With Drug Tests

"Walker is not the first state leader to propose testing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, colloquially known as food stamps) beneficiaries. Earlier this year, Georgia enacted a law requiring testing in cases where there's a "reasonable suspicion" of drug use by the benefit applicants.

But the Georgia requirement was barred from taking effect by the US Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. Federal law "expressly prohibit[s] States from imposing additional standards of eligibility for SNAP participation," Robin Bailey, the regional administrator for the Southeast, wrote Georgia Human Services Commissioner Keith Horton. "Requiring SNAP applicants and recipients to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits would constitute an additional condition of eligibility, and therefore, is not allowable under law." The Georgia law was thus barred from taking effect.

Walker is well aware of this precedent, and when he floated this idea before the election, he conceded to the Milwaukee JournalSentinel, "We believe that there will potentially be a fight with the federal government and in court.""* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola () break it down.

*Read more here:

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