A new change to the Supplemental Nutrition Program will affect many Quad-Citians.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration formalized a change that would limit states' ability to exempt work-eligible adults from needing to maintain steady employment to receive benefits.

The change, one of three that are set to come to SNAP, would limit states from issuing waivers unless a resident is in a city or county where the unemployment rate of 6% or higher. Those waivers would be good for one year and must be approved by the governor.

We want to encourage people by giving them a helping hand, but not an infinitely giving hand, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday.

In Scott County, 11,912 households use some sort of food assistance according to data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. That translates to 24,431 individuals, an allotment of $2,889,508.

According to Iowa Workforce Development data, Scott County had an unemployment rate of 3.3% in 2018.

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As of April 2019, the last available data for Rock Island County, 10,752 households use SNAP benefits. That translates to 23,103 individuals. The county's unemployment rate hasn't hit 6% in a single month since last February.

Around 1.7 million residents use SNAP benefits in Illinois.

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SNAP changes will have major impact on Quad-Cities - Quad City Times