"Hunger cliff" looms as 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits
CBSN
A "hunger cliff" is looming for millions of Americans, with 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits beginning in March.
The cuts will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in those states, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among the states where recipients are facing cuts are California and Texas, which have greatest number of people on SNAP, at 5.1 million and 3.6 million recipients, respectively.
The reductions are due to the end of so-called emergency allotments, which bolstered food-stamp benefits at the start of the pandemic as Americans grappled with the massive disruption to the economy. While the U.S. is certainly on more stable footing than in 2020, households are now struggling with high food costs — groceries were about 10% higher in December than a year earlier — making the timing of the SNAP cuts particularly challenging, experts say.
