The Largest Increase to SNAP Benefits in the Program's History

 By Center for American Progress

In October 2021, millions of people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see an increase to the benefits that help them feed themselves and their families. This change was made possible by a seemingly obscure process: the reevaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). The TFP is the most frugal of the four plans that the USDA develops to estimate the costs and contents of a healthy diet, and it has special policy importance as the basis for determining the maximum amount of SNAP benefits available to families. For years, SNAP recipients, anti-hunger advocates, and academic experts have argued that the TFP underestimates the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet. To address these concerns, Congress directed the USDA to regularly reevaluate the TFP using recent dietary guidance and current food prices, among other factors, in the 2018 bipartisan Farm Bill.   In August 2021, the Biden administration's USDA revealed the results of the reevaluation and cost update to the TFP as well as its impact on the SNAP program. According to the agency, SNAP benefits will increase by about 25 percent—an average of $36.24 per person each month, or $1.19 per day. Although relatively modest, this represents the single largest permanent increase in SNAP benefits in the program's history.   The long-awaited, science-driven update to the TFP will yield immediate benefits for the more than 40 million people who use SNAP to feed their families. Moreover, it's an important step toward improving food assistance and, ultimately, building a more compassionate, comprehensive social safety net. Read more about the details here.