I have several reasons why I believe that all income should be counted in benefit determination when a non-citizen is involved.

1) The eligibility of US citizens and non-citizens should be based on the same guidelines.  Although I understand that the non-citizen households are not allowed equal needs accessment, the non-citizen's income is still available to the household in its entirety, not on a pro rata share.

2) US citizens should receive a greater needs accessment because they are US citizens.

3) Policy regarding determination of benefits when a non-citizen is a standard filing unit (SFU) household member is cumbersome and more often than not results in increased errors.

4) It is impossible to hold the non-citizen SFU member, or any other household member, responsible for purchasing and preparing foods separately based on who, within the household, is a recipient and who is not. 

5) Although it is unfortunate that citizens of another country must come to the US and request assistance in meeting day to day needs,  the US government and its citizens cannot afford to provide perpetual assistance to US citizens, much less non-citizens.  In this statement, I am referring to the able-bodied applicants without dependents (ABAWD) policy which requires a US citizen to meet an exemption or SNAP assistance will be limited within a 3 year period.  Non-citizens that apply for SNAP most often have children in the household which exempts the household from restraints under the ABAWD policy.  On the surface, this may seem "fair", but in actuality, a household with a non-citizen member is receiving assistance when a household comprised of US citizen(s) is not.