(Central Square) – Over the two years of the pandemic, food stamp spending has increased by $53.5 billion – an 89% increase. By comparison, that’s what the entire program cost in 2009 during the Great Recession.
Spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the US increased by 88.5% from $60.3 billion in 2019 to $113.8 billion in 2021. Spending on the SNAP program previously peaked at $79.8 billion in 2013 before declining over the next six years.
The average monthly benefit per person increased by 68% from $129.83 per person to $217.88 per person from 2019 to 2021. numbers from the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
A federal program helps supplement the food budget of eligible people. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income people through an electronic benefits transfer card that can be used at stores to purchase food.
Emergency orders help some states collect more federal aid. For example, because of the COVID-19 emergency, “Connecticut received and distributed an additional $748 million in emergency SNAP benefits,” Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said in a June 28 speech executive order. “The continued flow of these funds is vital to offset the food insecurity impacts in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
About 35.7 million people nationwide took advantage of SNAP in 2019, the lowest number since 2013. Enrollment in the program increased to 39.9 million in 2020 before rising to 41.6 million in 2021, according to the USDA documents.
More people are expected to participate in SNAP in the coming years.
In 2023, USDA estimates, the number of participants will grow to an average of 43.5 million participants per month from 42.3 million in 2022.
“This post-recession surge in SNAP is consistent with participation trends since the last economic crisis,” USDA officials said in the agency’s 2023 report budget. “While participation is expected to increase, the overall cost of the program is expected to decrease.”
The spending cuts are expected to be related to the expiration of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the expiration of the 15% revenue increase in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan at the end of 2021 financial year, according to the budget.
Emergency authorization payments that were granted under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and other waiver programs are expected to continue for the duration of the public health emergency, likely for longer. parts of 2022, according to the budget.
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