SNAP Emergency Allotments and Public Health Emergency: Addressing the Hunger Cliff

Offset in Omnibus Would Cut SNAP and
Hasten Hunger Cliff for Millions

“Premature cuts to SNAP EAs would hasten the hunger cliff for millions of people with low incomes as soon as March 2023. SNAP recipients of all ages will lose benefits, but the steepest cliff will be for older adults at the minimum benefit level who will have their monthly SNAP benefits fall from $281 to $23.”

Priorities for Closing SNAP Gaps and
Addressing Looming Hunger Cliff

“New guidance from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) urges state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) agencies to leverage federal SNAP reimbursement funds for SNAP outreach that prioritizes work to help participants transition to regular intake rules after emergency allotments end.”

Addressing the Looming Hunger Cliff:
Improve SNAP Deductions

Households with low incomes face hard choices between paying for food and paying for other basics such as shelter and medicine. Those choices will get even harder for participants when the COVID-19 health emergency ends and, with it, the SNAP Emergency Allotments that have boosted benefits temporarily. Most SNAP participants will lose an average of $82 a month. 

On the Road to the 2023 Farm Bill: Stakeholder and
Public Support for SNAP Investments

“Unless Congress takes action, SNAP Supplemental Allotments, suspension of SNAP time limits on unemployed and underemployed adults, and reduced barriers to SNAP for college students all are slated to sunset.”

New Surveys Find Clear Public Support for
SNAP Expansions

“Two surveys released this month have found strong public support for enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding.”

A Lifeline During COVID-19: The Impact of SNAP
Boosts for Older Adults

“During the interviews, the older adults shared key ways the increased SNAP benefits had positive impacts on their lives, including on their food purchases, health, ability to pay bills, juggle other expenses, and weather the COVID-19 pandemic”

Let’s End Time Limits on SNAP Benefits

“Even as a ‘hunger cliff’ is hitting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households in March, and tens of millions of people are losing an average of $82 a person a month in grocery money, some conservatives are pushing for harsh changes to further undermine SNAP’s access for unemployed and underemployed people. ”

History Shows Congress Should End SNAP Time Limits

“As the Senate takes up debt limit legislation, and Members of Congress continue working toward a 2023 Farm Bill, we need to set the record straight on the current SNAP time limit rules, how they were enacted and implemented, and why, instead of worsening them, Congress should pass legislation, the Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2023 (H.R. 1510), to end SNAP time limits entirely.”

Communication Is Key for SNAP, Especially in a Time of Policy Change

“Changes are happening in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and operations in summer 2023, both because SNAP temporary policies during the pandemic are “unwinding” and because the recently enacted debt ceiling law amends the population groups subject to SNAP time limit rules.”

New SNAP Program Access Index Data Help in Identifying Factors for Better SNAP Performance

“Recently released national and state-by-state estimates of the degree to which the Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP) is reaching residents with lower incomes are a helpful tool for assessing the program’s reach and gaps.”