With Christmas now less than three weeks away, the Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will implement a new rule which will result in 750,000 Americans being cut from the rolls of those who are allowed to receive food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, which is more commonly known as food stamps.

According to the Washington Post:

The rule would apply to able-bodied adults with no dependents, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in a call with reporters.

It arrives as part of a broader effort to limit access to the federal food safety net, the first of three such measures in the works. The USDA initially estimated up to 750,000 individuals would be dropped from SNAP if the proposal took effect. In Wednesday’s call, the USDA adjusted that figure to 688,000.

Under current food stamp regulations, “able-bodied” recipients can receive SNAP benefits for three months during a three-year period unless they’re enrolled in an education or training program for at least 80 hours a month.

Secretary of Education Sonny Perdue tried to paint the rule change as helping people find work, but offered no proof of his assertion:

“Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. This is about restoring the original intent of food stamps … moving more able-bodied Americans to self sufficiency.”

But Share Our Strength’s senior vice president, Lisa Davis, said the simple fact is that nearly a million needy Americans will be denied food assistance:

“It is deeply disappointing that despite overwhelming opposition to this proposal, the White House has finalized a rule that stiffens work requirements for millions of SNAP participants, which will likely lead to hundreds of thousands of people losing their benefits.”

The administration also has two other rule changes which would cut almost 4 million people off food stamps, the Post reports:

The other two proposed rule changes, not yet final, aim to cap deductions for utility allowance and to limit access to SNAP for working poor families.

A study by the Urban Instituteshows the combined impact of these rules would cut 3.7 million people from SNAP in an average month. Millions more would experience reductions in monthly benefits and 982,000 students would lose automatic access to free or reduced price school meals.

So Merry Christmas from Donald the Grinch. He got his massive tax cut, but if you’re poor and hungry, that’s your problem according to the White House.

Featured Image Via YouTube Screenshot