How Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" Discriminates Against Single Parents

In a nail-biting 215-214 vote, the House passed US President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill last week. All but two Republicans backed the massive budget package, named the "One Big Beautiful Bill". 

The over 1,000-page bill, aimed at solidifying Trump's economic and fiscal agenda, now moves to the Senate where further debates and amendments are expected.

A contentious provision in the bill introduces stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients, mandating parents of children aged 7 to 17 to work 80 hours a month. However, married couples with children in the same age group are only required to have one parent work, sparking concerns about fairness and equity. Single parents, predominantly mothers, who account for 80% of single-parent households according to US census data, may struggle to balance work and childcare responsibilities. 

Homeless people, veterans, pregnant women and those under 18 or over 64 are also exempt from the work requirements.

"Subjecting a single mom to having to go work while the mom who's married down the street doesn't have to, really shines the light on how inequitable and unfair this is," said Ed Bolen, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, according to a report by Axios.

Carolyn Vega, associate director of policy at nonprofit Share Our Strength, is of the opinion that it is understood that some parents cannot work while taking care of their school-age kids, however the leniency is only extended to a certain type of parent. 

The bottomline here is that the White House is trying to encourage more people to stay at home to raise children and the vast majority of that segment is women. In a Mother's Day message, President Trump said he would work "to ensure that families can enjoy the highest standard of living on Earth on a single income."

The particular vulnerability in the SNAP system is that even if children are guaranteed SNAP benefits, the overall household's food security can be significantly impacted when an adult loses SNAP benefits. This means the resources needed to purchase food, including SNAP benefits, might decrease for the entire family, leading to food insecurity despite children technically remaining eligible.