As the Covid-19 Delta variant is on the rise, pandemic-related food assistance benefits face the chopping block

Despite the rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant, pandemic-related benefits are still set to expire at the end of September—including a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enhancement. More than 43 million Americans participate in SNAP, but even the maximum benefit pre-pandemic fell short of low-income meal costs in 96 percent of U.S. counties, according to an analysis from the Urban Institute, a nonprofit think tank. During the public health crisis, the federal government increased the daily food stamp benefit to $7 per person, but soon it will revert back to just $4 a day, which is the equivalent of $1.33 a meal, CBS News reports. The SNAP cuts are expected to occur at the same time that individual states also end increased food assistance and exit enhanced federal employment programs.