Starting in March, it will be harder for millions of families to put food on the table due to reduced SNAP funding.
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
In less than a week, Millions of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) food stamp recipients will lose the extra funds that were approved by the pandemic.
In February, the extension of emergency benefits ends coronavirus approved.
On March 1, millions of recipients’ checks will reflect the amount they received in April 2020 before the aid extension.
The cuts will impact more than 30 million beneficiariesaccording to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In states like California and Texas, of the demarcations in which more families receive payments, some 5.1 million and 3.6 million people would be affected.
According to the calculations of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, benefits per household will drop by at least $95 per monthand in some cases, up to $250.
“Emergency SNAP appropriations were a temporary strategy authorized by Congress to help low-income individuals and families cope with the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the USDA said in a statement. Some 32 states plus Washington DC, Guam and the Virgin Islands continue to process checks extended until this month. In the rest of the demarcations, the emergency funds have already expired.
A study by the Urban Institute estimated that this incentive helped more than 4 million people stay above poverty levels at the end of 2021. The non-Hispanic black communities and Hispanics were the most benefited in this direction.
Nearly half of households receiving SNAP funds also receive Social Security. The latter continues to be the main source of income for food stamp recipients. Most of these families will begin to see a reduction in food dollars starting next month.
Hispanics consulted by Telemundo Noticias agreed that the end of the extension will mean a new blow to their pockets.
“It affects us a lot because imagine that everything is very expensive… so we have to see how we survive to bring food, meat, all that, imagine,” a beneficiary identified as Martha told the chain.
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