Increasing hunger is a policy choice. The Big Ugly Bill already imposed the largest SNAP cut in the program’s history, and now, with the shutdown, millions more are at risk of losing access to the nutrition program when funding is depleted in two weeks.
The administration can―and must―take steps to protect SNAP benefits. SNAP running out of money would be catastrophic. Nearly 1 in 8 people, including 16 million children and 8 million people with disabilities, would go without the food assistance they need.
Two-thirds of the money needed to partially fund another month is in SNAP’s contingency fund, which must be used when regular funding falls short. The contingency fund has $6 billion, which is still short of the $8 billion needed to fully fund SNAP recipients per month. The administration can use other measures to ensure families get full November benefits―and they must act ASAP to give states guidance and enough time to get families the help they need to put food on the table.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration, via the United States Department of Agriculture, moved $300 million to WIC, the nutrition program that serves women, infants, and children. It’s time for the administration to do the same for SNAP, by tapping funds that are allowed by law to be used for this purpose.
View a streaming captioned copy of the webinar here. The presenter slide deck is available here.
Jared Bernstein, top Biden economist serving on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, will join CHN to explain how the COVID relief legislation now moving through Congress is the right size, with the right policies, to get us on the road to economic and pandemic recovery.
Called the American Rescue Plan, this robust $1.9 trillion plan proposed by the new Biden administration supports COVID vaccines and health care; cuts child poverty in half; helps the unemployed; provides more nutrition aid, housing assistance, one-time payments, child care, and paid leave; supports education and other state and local services; and much, much more.
Moderator Ellen Teller of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will field questions for Jared. We’ll then hear more real-world stories about how the pandemic is hitting our communities, and how this COVID relief package will help. And we’ll finish with CHN’s Executive Director Debbie Weinstein updating you on where things stand in Congress, and what you can do to ensure that help goes where it’s most needed.
If you’ve joined other CHN webinars, you may have seen Jared Bernstein, then with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, make economic predictions about poverty and income. He’s a top economist and a great explainer focused on addressing inequality and the needs of people with low incomes.
This webinar will be closed-captioned. Even if you can’t attend be sure to register to get a recording of the webinar, slides, and other resources. Watch the recording below: