On November 1, 2013, more than 47 million Americans, including 664,000 Mississippians, who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) to meet basic nutritional needs, will experience a reduction in their food assistance benefits.
That is because the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) temporary boost to SNAP is set to expire, resulting in a benefit cut for every participating SNAP household.
The cut in monthly benefits will make it more difficult for households to put food on the table in the coming months. For example, households of three are likely to see a cut of $29 a month. That adds up to $319 from November 2013 through September 2014, the remaining 11 months of the fiscal year. See Chart. Benefits, after the cut this fall, will average less than $1.40 per person per meal in 2014. That is the equivalent to taking away 16 meals for a household of three, or 21 meals for a household of four, according to calculations using the $1.70 to $2 per meal provided for in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan.
SNAP not only helps struggling families put food on the table, it also puts money directly into the economy when times are tough. Every $1 increase in SNAP benefits generates about $1.70 in economic activity. People spend SNAP assistance quickly and locally, supporting grocers and others. When SNAP benefits are cut, local small businesses are hurt as well.
Mississippi will lose out on $70 million in fiscal year 2014 alone thanks to these benefit cuts. Nationally, the cut amounts to $5 billion. Further, Congress is currently considering voting on even deeper cuts to the program as part of a broader Farm Bill. This could put many more families and children in jeopardy when they need assistance the most. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program and is a powerful tool in helping to keep families out of poverty. Now is not the time to further reduce this already modest assistance to these struggling families.
States, including Mississippi, should begin planning for the reduction to ensure that participants and the many organizations who work with them are aware of the upcoming change and its effects.
For more information, read the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ full report
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2013, August 1). SNAP Benefits Will Be Cut for All Participants in November 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3899
