The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest nutritional assistance program. The White House has the funds to keep the program going during the shutdown, but they are refusing to do so.
It is important to understand who is on SNAP.
According to the USDA:
In FY 2023, four in five (79%) SNAP households included either a child, an elderly individual, or a nonelderly individual with a disability. These households contained 88% of all SNAP participants and received 83% of all SNAP benefits. See figure below.
About 39% of SNAP participants were children, 20% were elderly, and 10% were nonelderly individuals with a disability.
Most SNAP households lived in poverty. Seventy-three percent had a gross monthly income at or below 100% of the poverty level.
Most SNAP benefits go to the poorest households. Eighty-six percent of all SNAP benefits go to households with gross monthly income at or below the poverty level and 51% of benefits go to those with gross monthly income at or below 50% of the poverty level. In contrast, 27% of households with a gross monthly income above the poverty level received 14% of all benefits.
Many households that receive SNAP have net incomes that range from $300-$500 a month.
Since most of the recipients who get SNAP are children, the elderly, or the disabled, they can’t get a job. If SNAP payments stop, these people are highly likely to experience hunger.
Trump wants to blame Democrats for the shutdown, but keep reading to find out why his administration will be responsible for potentially tens of millions of Americans going hungry soon.
