Several House Republicans, reports Zaid Jilani, have introduced a provision cutting off food stamps to any household that has a person on strike:
[O]ne section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer:
The bill also includes a provision that would exempt households from losing eligibility, “if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household.”
Obviously the intent here is to increase the bargaining power of management vis a vis its workforce by increasing the threat of severe deprivation to anybody contemplating a labor strike. I don't believe these members of Congress actually sought to punish the spouses and children of striking workers, but when you're waging class war, collateral damage is inevitable.