Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Demand For Food Stamps, But They Can't Be Used For Online Ordering
Politico: Food Stamp Spending Jumped Nearly 50 Percent In 2020
Federal spending on the country’s largest nutrition assistance program increased by nearly 50 percent in 2020 amid the economic shock of the pandemic, according to newly released data from the Agriculture Department. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, still known to many as food stamps, cost nearly $90 billion in fiscal year 2020, USDA said Wednesday. That’s a major jump from just over $60 billion in 2019. (Bottemiller Evich, 1/27)
USA Today: Federal Government Wants Americans To Buy Groceries Online, But Most People On SNAP Can’t
The federal government has said Americans should stay home and buy groceries online, leading to a 300% explosion in online food shopping. But a majority of Americans who depend on food stamps have no choice but to shop in person because the federal government allows online shopping with SNAP benefits only in limited circumstances in 47 states. For those who are able to shop on the web, the costs can be shocking for families who barely have enough to eat in part because SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for delivery fees or tips. (Ruiz-Goiriena, 1/24)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Hunger Crisis: For These Families, Every Meal Is Now A Struggle
Hunger is a hidden hardship that the pandemic has made visible, a persistent crisis that the pandemic has made worse. Across America, people are lining up for food — on foot and in cars, at churches and recreation centers and in school parking lots, in wealthy states and poorer ones. They are parents and grandparents, students and veterans, employed and underemployed and jobless. ... In Pennsylvania and New Mexico, Maryland and California, The Post spent time with people living with hunger, and the people trying to help them. (1/27)
Texas Tribune: Texans Receiving Federal Food Assistance Could Soon Get More Aid Under Joe Biden's Executive Order
Texas families receiving pandemic-era federal food assistance for students who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals will soon see a 15% increase in their benefits. That additional aid is one of three food access issues President Joe Biden addressed in an executive order last week. The moves come as 16.5% of the state’s 29 million residents said they did not always have enough food to eat in the last seven days, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. (Agnew, 1/26)
