18 Million US Households Dealt With Hunger In 2023, Continuing A Trend
Department of Agriculture report shows hunger in the U.S. to be at the highest it's been in nearly a decade. SNAP and WIC are also in the news.
Reuters:
Hunger In US Continued Multi-Year Rise In 2023, Government Report Says
Hunger reached its highest point in the United States in nearly a decade last year, with 18 million households, or 13.5%, struggling at some point to secure enough food, a Department of Agriculture report released on Wednesday said. Hunger has been on the rise in the country since 2021, after years of decline. U.S. Census Bureau data last year showed a rise in food insecurity after the end of programs that expanded food aid during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report did not provide an explanation for the increase. (Douglas, 9/4)
Newsweek:
Map Shows States With Highest Food Insecurity As 47 Million Go Hungry
Millions of Americans are increasingly experiencing hunger because they live in households that can't afford to sustain proper diets, and a Newsweek map shows where food insecurity is hitting hardest. (Higham, 9/5)
In news about SNAP benefits —
Kiowa County Press:
Deadline To Replace Stolen SNAP Benefits Looms
The deadline to replace Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for recipients whose benefits were electronically stolen or skimmed is fast approaching. A September 30, 2024, deadline looms for those who had their benefits stolen between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2024, to replace their lost benefits. This comes after Congress passed a law in December 2022, hoping to reduce SNAP benefit theft. (Joyce, 9/4)
The Center Square:
SNAP Benefits A Sticking Point That Is Holding Up The New Farm Bill
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP program, has been a major talking point when it comes to negotiating the new Farm Bill. Republicans on the House Committee on Agriculture passed a version of the farm bill that would effectively cut nearly $30 billion in benefits over the next decade. (Bessler, 9/3)
Civil Eats:
Project 2025 Calls For Major Cuts To SNAP And WIC
Criticizing the USDA as “a major welfare agency,” the agenda takes issue with the agency’s long-standing nutrition programs that help feed millions of low-income Americans every year, including pregnant women, infants, and K-12 school children. It outlines policies that would substantially cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It would also shrink federal support for universal school meal programs. (Moran, 8/28)
Advantage News:
Illinois Sees Sharp Rise In SNAP Benefit Recipients
With the state now home to the seventh highest share of resident using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford is urging lawmakers to do more to aid the growing number of individuals now struggling to survive. (Talamonti, 9/4)
