In largest expansion on record, six million people added to SNAP rolls
More than six million people have signed up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) since the start of the pandemic, The New York Times reports. It’s the largest three-month increase in history, and the program may swell even further if expanded unemployment benefits lapse. Since the start of the pandemic, Congress has authorized states to disburse the maximum allowable benefit to every eligible household, regardless of income. That means a single person receiving the lowest-available benefit level—$16 per month—automatically saw an increase to $192 per month. House Democrats have passed a relief bill that calls for an additional 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits.
