According to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, millions of American families are at risk of being denied food aid next year if Congress doesn’t act to increase funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to over 40 million low-income households, including 76 percent of households with children, and helps to lift 8.3 million people out of poverty each year.
The report warns that if Congress does not increase SNAP funding, many families will be denied access to food that they need to survive. This would be particularly damaging for children, who already make up over half of the people enrolled in SNAP. Without immediate food assistance, thousands of kids could go hungry and face further health risks. As the report points out, hunger can have serious long-term implications for children’s physical and mental health, as well as educational achievement.
To prevent this potentially tragic outcome, the report recommends that Congress must invest in SNAP by increasing funding and expanding eligibility. This could significantly reduce the number of people who struggle to access food. With the right investment, SNAP could provide much needed assistance to millions of households and help to break the cycle of poverty.
