The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program. The White House has the funds to maintain the program during the shutdown, but it refuses to do so.
It’s important to understand who is on SNAP.
According to the USDA:
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In FY 2023, four in five (79%) SNAP households included either a child, senior citizen, or nonelderly person with a disability. These households represented 88% of all SNAP participants and received 83% of all SNAP benefits. See the figure below.
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Approximately 39% of SNAP participants were children, 20% were elderly, and 10% were nonelderly individuals with disabilities.
Most SNAP households lived in poverty. Seventy-three percent had a gross monthly income at or below 100% of the poverty line.
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Most SNAP benefits go to the poorest households. Eighty-six percent of all SNAP benefits go to households whose gross monthly income is at or below the poverty level and 51 percent of benefits go to those whose gross monthly income is at or below 50 percent of the poverty level. In contrast, 27% of households with gross monthly income above the poverty line received 14% of all benefits.
Many households receiving SNAP have net incomes between $300 and $500 per month.
Since most SNAP recipients are children, elderly, or people with disabilities, they cannot find jobs. If SNAP payments stop, these people are at high risk of going hungry.
Trump wants to blame Democrats for the shutdown, but read on to find out why his administration will potentially be responsible for tens of millions of Americans soon going hungry.