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By: Sydney Carroll
“SNAP” or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a program that currently provides support to 9.5 million families across America. In 2015, SNAP allowed 4 million Americans to garner the support needed to lift themselves above the poverty line. Unlike its predecessor Food Stamps, SNAP has a focus on providing nutritional foods to at-risk children and adults, as many healthier foods tend to have a heftier price tag. SNAP is distributed through a monthly electric benefit transfer card (EBT) similar to a debit card, and it is preloaded with funds to buy healthy food options.
Like most welfare institutions, SNAP has struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. A slew of new issues began to arise as the pandemic worsened. The United States currently is in an economic crisis comparable to the Great Depression. As a result, blue-collar jobs will be the first to go when a recession hits, affecting low-income households disproportionately. Meaning that not only do more Americans need SNAP, but those already receiving its benefits need it now more than ever. When the Federal Government enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provided the Agriculture Department (USDA) authority to let states temporarily modify procedures to make it easier for families to continue participating in or apply for SNAP. They also included an increase in funding for SNAP by $2 billion dollars- which still isn’t enough to compensate for the financial stress SNAP recipients are facing, but the plan does allow for other benefits for most SNAP recipients.
How does this help those who receive SNAP benefits?
Give families the maximum benefits allotted
Normally, states aren't able to give each family the benefits that they actually need, because there are different thresholds for how much money a family can receive based on their income. For instance, someone making minimum wage will receive more benefits than someone making above minimum wage. However, with there being such an incredible financial and mental burden on families, all states are authorized to provide maximum benefits for up to six months - which depending on family size, can cost up to $921 dollars.
Provide for families whose children rely on school lunches
Students have been out of the classroom since March, but for the majority of kids at or below the poverty line, a free or reduced-price school lunch may be their only guaranteed meal of the day. When schools shut down, the government had to find a way to supplement this major loss. As a result, SNAP rolled out the Pandemic EBT, in which these families who rely on school lunches can replace the meals lost by giving them credits to use in the upcoming school year.
Pilot Online Purchasing Sites
Several states had already allowed SNAP recipients to use their EBTs online to purchase food from state-approved retailers such as Amazon, ShopRite, Walmart, and Freshmart. Now, due to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, more states have rolled out plans so that SNAP recipients can purchase food online and therefore stay safe and fed.
Despite their best efforts, SNAP has received some criticism of their actions. For instance in Nevada, there was a 400% increase in applications for SNAP when coronavirus hit. The important thing to note is that that is in addition to the 140,000 SNAP recipients in Nevada prior to the pandemic. However, the issue arose that the lowest income households who already received the maximum SNAP benefit did not receive any additional SNAP dollars, despite their dire need for it. As a result,higher-income households were the only ones receiving increased benefits - leaving Nevada’s poorest residents with no additional benefits. Further, problems such as this are arising in states across the country. Pennsylvania submitted a waiver to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking to increase benefits for all SNAP recipients, owing to the fact that nearly 40% of their recipients could not uphold CDC guidelines of maintaining a 2 week supply of food at all times. The USDA denied the request, due to a lack of funding. A lawsuit was later filed by Pennsylvania in response, citing that “the USDA’s guidance results in the exclusion of nearly 40% of SNAP recipients from emergency SNAP allotments, including many elderly people, families with young children, and people with disabilities, in direct violation of the law.”
So, where does SNAP stand?
Right now, families need SNAP. No American should have to worry about their next meal, especially during a pandemic. We need to do our part to help people who have experienced the effects of this firsthand. Advocating for greater funding for SNAP is a first step in helping millions of families. Lobbying for the government to focus on putting out the next COVID relief package to help these families survive. Donating to the charities listed below is a great way to help. And remember, SNAP isn’t a political issue - it’s a human rights issue, one that can’t be pushed to the side anymore.
Organizations Fighting Hunger
Feeding America
Food Bank for New York City
Freedom from Hunger
Meals on Wheels
No Kid Hungry
Discussion Questions
Why is SNAP so essential to Americans?
Has SNAP been overly politicized?
Is what happened to SNAP in Pennsylvania constitutional?
Sources Used & Further Reading
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