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The budget of the SNAP program – better known as “food stamps” – is finally going up! People receiving this benefit will receive up to an extra $36 per month. This isn’t a huge increase, but it brings the benefit closer to what it actually costs to buy a month’s worth of food.
SNAP benefits have long been criticized for being too low to actually provide a livable diet – meaning even with food stamps, many low-income families still struggle to eat. This bump is good news, but reveals bigger problems.
Under the new plan, the average person will get about $150 a month – but groceries have been going up in price. Since the pandemic started, prices of all food items have increased – some by as much as 18%! The increase in benefits helps, but it’s still not enough to solve food insecurity.
President Biden celebrated the change, but poor people getting a benefit that adds up to only $2 per meal is not a cause for celebration.
This expansion of funds for SNAP is still good news for us – Black people disproportionately face food insecurity. This change is a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.