The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides money to people who are disabled, elderly, or have very low incomes, is once again caught in a political back-and-forth between different presidents.
Under President Joe Biden, thousands of people on SSI got a boost — a few hundred extra dollars each month. This happened because his administration changed the rules so that more people could get the full benefit even if they lived with someone who helped them with food or housing. Before that, if you received “in-kind support” like groceries or a place to stay from a friend or family member, the government would cut your monthly check by about a third. Since the maximum SSI payment is only \$967 a month, that cut could be a big loss.
Biden’s rule said that if you lived with someone who also got federal food assistance, your SSI wouldn’t be reduced. This helped almost 300,000 people keep their full benefits and allowed about 100,000 others to qualify for the first time.
Now, the Trump administration says it plans to reverse that change. If that happens, many people could lose money again. Policy experts Kathleen Romig and Devin O’Connor from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warned that this could lead to painful situations. Families might stop helping loved ones because their help could cause those people to lose benefits. Some individuals might even end up in institutions or care facilities because they couldn’t afford to live in the community anymore.
SSI is often called the government’s “last resort” safety net. More than 7 million Americans rely on it, most of them disabled and living in poverty. The rules are strict — if you save more than \$2,000, your benefits can be reduced or stopped. Biden’s rule was meant to make it easier for people to keep help from family or roommates without losing money, but Trump’s plan would undo that.
This isn’t the first time these benefits have been caught in a tug-of-war. Biden previously blocked cuts that Trump had tried to make in his first term, and now Trump is trying to reverse Biden’s changes in his second term. Congress has done little to update or protect SSI, leaving it vulnerable to changes every time a new president takes office.
