House Republicans Want to Lower Dependent ‘Exemption’ Age in SNAP From 18 to 7

Democrats balked at the proposal in the reconciliation bill, which they said would punish single parents of young children.

Members of the House Agriculture Committee
The provision is part of the House reconciliation bill. Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP

For a person to claim a dependent and qualify for work requirement exemptions under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the child must be under the age of 18.

House Republicans want to change the age to 7.

It’s a dramatic policy shift in the agriculture section of the reconciliation bill. While most of the focus — and criticism — has been on a proposal to institute state cost-sharing for SNAP, the age shift particularly enraged Democrats on the Agriculture Committee during the marathon markup that stretched into Wednesday.