A new report warns that millions of parents and young kids could be denied food assistance next year if Congress does not provide an additional $4 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The report, from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, finds that if Congress doesn’t provide this additional funding, SNAP funding could decline by nearly $5 billion in fiscal year 2021 – the sharpest single-year decrease in the program’s history, and the first time since the early 1980s that nutrition assistance has declined for two consecutive years.
As a result of this funding shortfall, about 2 million adults in households receiving SNAP benefits, as well as 8 million children in low-income households that receive SNAP benefits, would be denied access to the vital benefits they need. The report also finds that the decline in funding would cause a drop in food assistance for households already struggling to make ends meet, leading to an increase in hunger and malnutrition across the country.
The report calls on Congress to act quickly to close the funding gap and provide additional resources to support families that depend on SNAP benefits. It notes that Congress has provided nearly $1.3 trillion in coronavirus relief funds, and that additional budget funding would provide a much-needed lifeline to families facing income insecurity.
