SNAP Benefits

The law changes how SNAP benefit amounts are calculated and, as a result, benefits may not keep up with increasingly high food costs. Because of the law, SNAP benefits will now adjust for only general inflation, whether or not food prices rise faster than general inflation. Experts anticipate that as a result of this change, benefits will, over time, fall behind what food actually costs. Under the new calculation imposed by the law, benefits are expected to be approximately seven dollars per person per month lower by 2027-2031. By 2032-2034, there is expected to be a fifteen dollar monthly gap between the old calculation and the new one imposed by the law. As a result, it will become increasingly difficult for SNAP participants to buy groceries.

Nationally, almost half of SNAP recipients are children and two thirds of SNAP benefits go to households with children. Experts estimate that across the country, the law will cause one million children to experience substantial cuts in the food assistance to their families - or those benefits will be terminated altogether. In New York, 30% of SNAP recipients are children. It is estimated that the law threatens the SNAP benefits of 363,000 children in New York. In addition, young people who have recently aged out of foster care used to be exempt from work requirements to receive SNAP benefits. The law removes the exemption and now subjects young people aging out of foster care to work requirements in order to receive SNAP benefits.

53% of SNAP participants in New York are in households with children, 48% are in households with at least one older or disabled adult, and 37% are in working families. The majority of New Yorkers utilizing SNAP have incomes below the federal poverty line. On average, households in New York see $233 in SNAP benefits per month – though that average increases when looking at households with children ($384) and working households ($314).

With its dense population and high cost of living, New York City sees asubstantial number of SNAP recipients. The program helps bridge the gap for many working families and individuals who struggle to make ends meet despite employment. In more rural areas of New York, SNAP supports communities facingdifferent economic challenges, such as limited job opportunities and lower wages.

The law puts the health and wellbeing of older adults at risk by adding paperwork and red tape to the process of receiving SNAP benefits. The law expands the groups of people who are subject to work requirements in order to receive SNAP benefits to include older adults up to age 65. The cut off had previously been age 54. Experts estimate that nationally 900,000 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 will lose SNAP benefits as a result of the added administrative burden of providing proof of meeting the new work requirements.

The bill does include new investments in other nutrition programs, but new investments do not compensate for the significant harm caused by cutting future benefits for all participants. The proposed investments amount to only about half of the approximately $30 billion in SNAP cuts. As a result, the House Farm Bill would slash billions of dollars from crucial food assistance for low-income individuals to fund unrelated initiatives, failing to address the needs of those struggling to put food on the table.

The bill also proposessignificant changes to SNAP’s core mission, diverting its focus away from reducing food insecurity and potentially leading to impractical and stigmatizing monitoring of participants' food purchases. SNAP recipients are already subject to burdensome and stigmatizing monitoring requirements that mandate some recipients frequently report work activity, which can deter eligible Americans from utilizing the program. Now, lawmakers are furthering stigmatization of SNAP recipients by considering the creation of a pilot program to require grocers to catalog and restrict SNAP purchases – and another to collect SNAP purchasing data to be utilized with the goal of restricting SNAP even further. By proliferating stigmatization of SNAP, more Americans won’t get the help they need to feed themselves and their families.

Veterans often experience lower employment rates, physical and mental health conditions related to their military service, and higher rates of homelessness than the population at large. Between 2015-2019, veterans were seven percent more likely than non-veterans to experience food insecurity. As a result, SNAP can make a particular difference in the lives of veterans, and the law’s cuts to the program will hit our veterans especially hard. Across the country, approximately 1.2 million veterans live in households that participate in SNAP. In New York, experts estimate that 56,000 veterans receive SNAP benefits. Veterans are among the groups most likely to lose SNAP benefits as a result of the law. The law removes the exemption of veterans from work requirements - in other words, veterans, among other vulnerable groups, will be required to document 20 hours weekly of work or participation in other specified work activities or qualify for an exemption. Otherwise, these veterans will be able to receive SNAP benefits for only three months in a three year period.Item description

SNAP-Ed programs funded state programs to teach SNAP recipients how to best use stretch their SNAP benefits, including by buying and cooking healthier food, and increasing physical activity. The law eliminates funding for SNAP-Ed. In New York, by partnering with agencies, community groups, and the state, SNAP-Ed NY nutrition workshops reached 217,723 through 13,275 events and 35,109 sessions. In addition, indirect activities reached 1,083,971 through 2,722 events and 3,967 media channels. The program used digital tools to expand their reach beyond sessions and series and used these additional tools to deliver nutrition information to individuals and families in the state. By eliminating funding for the programs, the law halts an important flow of information.