More than 40 million Americans receive federal SNAP benefits. That’s monthly assistance that helps low-income families buy groceries.
Congress boosted these benefits during the pandemic. But now, those buffs are gone. The average SNAP recipient lost $90 a month at the end of February. The public health emergency is ending on May 11. But food costs are 10 percent higher now than they were last year.
Just as these cuts end, Congress is debating the future of SNAP. Republican lawmakers are calling for stricter work requirements, while Democrats say current funding levels are nowhere near adequate.
We discuss how food-insecure Americans, and the food banks that help them, are making do.
This show was part of 1A’s Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations around the country. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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