After cuts to children's food aid, 4 in 10 poor families are skipping meals, survey finds

During the pandemic, some low-income families in the U.S. received extra federal aid for buying groceries, a government effort that has since been scaled back. The result is soaring food insecurity among poor households with children, with more than 4 in 10 families who had received the benefit now skipping meals, according to new research. 

That's double the rate of people who missed meals compared with a year ago, according to the study from Propel, which makes an app for food-stamp recipients to check their balances. Propel surveyed more than 2,800 of its users from August 1-14 about their levels of food insecurity, which is defined as not having enough food to lead an active and healthy life. 

The government program, called the pandemic EBT or P-EBT, was authorized by Congress in 2020 when the COVID-19 outbreak shuttered schools across the nation. The plan helped families with children by providing them with money to buy groceries to replace the school meals kids were missing in school, but since last summer funding for P-EBT has dropped by 70%, Propel noted.