The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program plays a central role in the U.S. social safety net. Each month, approximately 42 million Americans, or roughly one in eight people nationwide, rely on SNAP benefits to help purchase food.
These benefits are distributed electronically through EBT cards and are widely used for groceries and other essential food items.
Advocacy organizations, food security experts, and state officials have long emphasized that any disruption to SNAP payments—even temporary—can have immediate and serious consequences.
For many households, SNAP benefits supplement limited incomes and are critical to meeting basic nutritional needs. Continue reading…