As Congress and the White House continue negotiations on the American Families Plan, PPI’s policy experts released a report today outlining new ways that policymakers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) should modernize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to make the program more accessible to families in need and more resilient in a future crisis. The report, titled “Reimagining SNAP After the Pandemic,” is authored by Veronica Goodman and Kaitlin Edwards.
“When it comes to nutrition assistance, we can’t return to business-as-usual after this pandemic. The post-pandemic era must mark the beginning of a new national dialogue on how to wipe out hunger and malnutrition in America,” said report authors Veronica Goodman and Kaitlin Edwards. “As the Biden administration and Congress begin to craft the American Families Plan, they should prioritize modernizing SNAP, a critical and often lifesaving program.”
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of American families faced food insecurity. In 2019, over 38 million individuals participated in SNAP, with nearly half – 44% – being working families with children.
Yet, about 16% of eligible individuals – which equates to millions of Americans – do not utilize the program. This rate is even higher among seniors and students. Research suggests a lack of information, barriers to applying for benefits, costs to applying, and stigma around needing food assistance account for most of the gaps in participation.
As the pandemic ravaged communities and shuttered businesses, many families and individuals were forced to wait in miles-long lines outside of food banks and nutrition assistance centers. Unemployment rates shot up to levels even higher than during the Great Recession, and many families who never struggled to put food on the table found themselves in desperate need of help. Throughout the pandemic, nearly 44 million individuals enrolled in SNAP, a more than 20% jump from about 36 million in 2019.
To modernize SNAP and increase its effectiveness as one of the most far-reaching hunger prevention interventions, PPI proposes the following reforms:
Reduce administrative burdens by streamlining the application process by creating a single application for multiple social safety net programs, and reduce barriers for eligible populations.
Ease the restrictions on what SNAP benefits can and cannot be used for, and remove restrictions for hot and prepared meals.
Reinforce SNAP as an “automatic stabilizer” in future economic downturns, triggering enhanced benefits and suspended work requirements when the economy enters a recession.
Fill in the gaps in nutrition by adopting the “child multiplier” proposal that would increase the benefit size for families with children under the age of five.
Reform counterproductive limits on savings and assets that dissuade families from creating even small rainy day funds.
Use information technology to modernize the program and reduce the administrative burden on low-income people, states, and retailers.
Read the full report here:
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
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Media Contact: Aaron White – awhite@ppionline.org