The Future of the Farm Bill
Millions of families in need face an uncertain future as Congress debates SNAP
As Congress contemplates the final version of the Farm Bill, the House version calls for changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that not only lack credible supporting evidence, but would overwhelmingly hurt millions of families and children already struggling to put food on the table.
Despite conventional measures of economic health improving, such as low unemployment, an estimated 40 million people in the United States live in households without consistent access to adequate food. This means that 1 in 8 individuals are at risk of hunger. Nearly ten years after the end of the Great Recession, food insecurity remains a significant problem, contributing to poor health outcomes and higher health care costs that are felt by individuals, businesses, and communities across the country.
SNAP serves as the first line of defense in supporting people facing hunger with limited incomes. The program is proven to reduce food insecurity, providing assistance to nearly 41 million eligible individuals, more than two-thirds of whom are children, seniors, or people with disabilities.
The House Farm Bill proposes many changes to SNAP that will adversely affect millions across America by cutting or eliminating benefits and restricting eligibility. This will strain nonprofit food banks, who already work to distribute groceries and meals to millions of individuals and families. The charitable sector cannot make up the gap left by cutting SNAP benefits or eligibility. In 2017, Feeding America and our network of 200 food banks across the country helped provide billions of meals to 46 million people in need. But for every meal that Feeding America provides, SNAP provides 12.
One of the most significant proposed changes to SNAP is the elimination of the current state option to raise income eligibility levels. This flexibility, known as broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE), is especially crucial in states with higher costs of living. Under federal rules, to be eligible for benefits, a family of four cannot earn more than $32,630 (130% of the poverty line). Many working families have incomes just above SNAP’s income threshold but face significant expenses, including costly child care and housing, that puts healthy food out of reach. In part to account for regional cost differences, less affordable states like New York and Oregon take advantage of this critical state flexibility to set the income eligibility cutoff at $50,200 (200% of the poverty line).
To understand what the burden would mean for states and households if the level of income eligibility was reduced, Feeding America conducted an analysis of data on households with children from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The results suggest that fewer people will be eligible for SNAP, current participants will lose their benefits, and more people will be food insecure. In fact, the actual negative impact will likely be greater for reasons related to the characteristics and reported participation of SNAP households.
The proposal included in the House Farm Bill to eliminate state flexibility around income thresholds will reduce the number of low-income households eligible for and currently participating in SNAP. As a result, the change will increase the number of people at risk of hunger in the United States by as many as 858,000, including 561,000 children. This is equivalent to the entire population of Fort Worth, Texas.
An estimated 14.1 million people will no longer be eligible for SNAP, including 2.6 million currently receiving SNAP that will lose benefits they have come to rely on. Children, in particular, will be greatly hurt by the proposed changes. Approximately 9.7 million children will no longer be eligible for SNAP, including 1.7 million children currently receiving SNAP.
According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, which accounts for variation in state-specific income limits, an estimated 16 million people at risk of hunger live in households that earn too much to qualify for SNAP. The provisions in the proposed House Farm Bill threaten to increase that number by nearly 3.4 million, the majority of whom are children, creating an additional challenge for millions of families already struggling to afford sufficient food.
The House Farm Bill in its current form threatens to strip millions of families and children of vital benefits and put more Americans at risk of hunger. Feeding America supports legislation that protects and strengthens SNAP.
Craig Gundersen is the Soybean Industry Endowed Professor of Agricultural Strategy in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois and is a member of Feeding America’s Technical Advisory Group. Adam Dewey is a Research Manager at Feeding America and manages the annual Map the Meal Gap project.
