November 4, 2013

With the end of funding from the 2009 stimulus bill, a new report revealed 47 million Americans using food stamps will have less money per month to buy meals.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps, gives assistance in buying groceries for low-income individuals and families throughout the United States, according to the United States Department of Agriculture website.

“The upcoming cuts to SNAP benefits will be significant and have far-reaching impacts on low-income individuals and families,” the report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said. “They will likely increase hardship for the more than 47 million Americans who rely upon SNAP to meet their basic nutritional needs.”

The report adds Congress is “unlikely” to pass legislation to blunt the effects of the cut, but the existing levels of benefits are considered to be inadequate by some experts.

However, Regan Hopper, acting director of public affairs at the DOA’s Food and Nutrition Service, said SNAP benefits are not ending, and in fact, this change is not as drastic as many think.

“SNAP benefits are reducing,” Hopper said, “but they’re basically just being restored back to the original level of benefits before the ARRA bill took place.”