SNAP Supports Health Equity

The Issue

We all want to be able to put healthy food on the table for ourselves and our families. But many of us face significant barriers to doing so. One way the U.S. supports families in accessing healthy food is through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and authorized every five years as part of the Farm Bill. 

Key Findings

• More than 41 million people participate in SNAP and receive an average monthly benefit of $191 per person or a little over $2 per meal. ​Roughly four out of 10 SNAP participants (42%) are children under age 18; 16% are people 60 and older; and about 12% are people with disabilities.
• During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers responded to the increased need for food assistance by increasing SNAP benefits. Following the expiration of SNAP benefit increases in February 2023, roughly one in four participating households said they “sometimes” or “often” didn’t have enough to eat.
• Research finds that SNAP work requirements significantly reduce program participation and reduce food security and household income, but do not increase employment. Furthermore, they adversely affect overall participant income, since they reduce benefits more than they increase income.

Recommendations

Work Requirements

• Permanently eliminate work requirements for anyone participating in SNAP.
• Reduce penalties for failure to comply with work requirements.
  

Benefits

• Increase benefit levels to ensure that SNAP benefits cover the cost of a modestly priced meal in every U.S. county.
• Expand the availability of resources for programs that support and incentivize the purchase of healthier foods, including additional fruits and vegetables, such as GusNIP.

Eligibility

• Streamline eligibility and enrollment processes and focus enrollment efforts on communities with low participation, including immigrants, people of color, and rural residents.
• Broaden SNAP eligibility to cover more college students, unemployed adults without children, and lawfully residing immigrants.
• Eliminate the lifetime ban on SNAP participation for people with felony drug convictions.

Conclusion

SNAP is proven to improve food access and reduce poverty. During the last several years, with the unprecedented global pandemic and significant increases in food prices, SNAP has been an even more critical lifeline to many children and families. During this period, changes made to SNAP that expanded eligibility, increased benefits, and allowed more flexibility have provided significant help to families. Similar changes should support families even when we’re not facing public health emergencies. Maintaining these improvements for the long term would strengthen SNAP overall and enable more families to thrive.