USAFacts : $200 Billion is spent on SNAP which provides, approximately 50 million kids with school meals and nutrition. Kids who are nourished, have better educational skills and contribute to society. Why cut this program?
The only answer is to decrease the deficit caused by extending Corporate Tax cuts. This cut in spending is wholly punitive and unnecessary.
The Facts from USAFacts:
Last week, we discussed how the Forest Service fits into the Department of Agriculture. Now, we’re diving into the USDA’s top-spending agency, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
The FNS aims to reduce hunger and increase food security for people nationwide. Its best-known program is likely the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sometimes called food stamps.
The Food and Nutrition Service has said it will require states to share “all records associated” with SNAP with the federal government in response to an order from President Trump. Meanwhile, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is calling for DOGE to investigate SNAP fraud.
Here’s the data on SNAP and other food assistance programs within the context of the department.
The Agriculture Department’s spending has grown from $135.2 billion in 1980 to $203.4 billion in 2024, after adjusting for inflation. That’s a 50.5% increase but smaller than federal spending overall, which rose 194% in the same period. The department comprised a smaller share of the budget in 2024 (3%) than in 1980 (6%).
The Food and Nutrition Service accounted for $147.4 billion of the department’s spending. Some of that was sent to states to fund SNAP and other programs, but the federal government directly spent about $100.3 billion last fiscal year.
SNAP spending is mandatory, meaning it doesn’t require yearly Congressional approval. It’s essentially on autopilot, even if that spending is unpredictable at the start of the year. SNAP spending depends on how many people qualify and claim benefits, which is, in turn, influenced by inflation, economic growth, and other factors.
Most child nutrition programs are also covered by mandatory spending. These include:
- The National School Lunch Program, costing $17.3 billion in fiscal year 2023, serving a daily average of 28.6 million children.
- The School Breakfast Program, costing $5.3 billion, serving 14.7 million children daily.
- The Child and Adult Care Food Program, costing $3.9 billion, serving 4.6 million children and 109,600 older adults daily. This program reimburses food in childcare centers, daycares, and adult daycare facilities.
The Food and Nutrition Act requires eligible households to receive SNAP benefits within 30 days of applying. In 2023, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Utah had the highest rates of on-time application processing, ranging between 99% and 96%. Alaska, Washington, DC, and North Dakota had the lowest on-time percentage rates, all less than 53%.
That year, people redeemed $124 billion in SNAP benefitsat grocery, convenience, and specialty food stores. That’s 10% less than the previous year, for part of which pandemic-related supplements were still in place.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that about $10.5 billion of SNAP benefits paid in 2023 were the wrong amount or improperly made. Many of these were overpayments, and the GAO says the main reason for this was that states didn’t properly verify recipients’ eligibility. These funds aren’t lost for good, though — states are legally required to correct payment errors, and overpayments must be paid back to the state. The state must also restore improperly denied benefits.
Meanwhile, the FNS tracks three main kinds of SNAP fraud:
- Recipient fraud, which includes selling benefits for cash or falsifying one’s income/identity on an application.
- Retailer fraud, including exchanging SNAP benefits for cash, selling non-approved items, reselling items purchased with benefits, or falsifying information on their application to accept benefits. The Food and Nutrition Service had 12,692 compliance investigations in 2023, disqualifying 1,058 retailers temporarily and 922 permanently.
- Scams in which outside actors try to steal SNAP benefits by using card skimmers, fake websites, or phishing attempts. From October 2022 to December 2024, states were required to reimburse victims of SNAP theft with federal money, but that protection is no longer in effect.
For more, see our just-published page on SNAP data. You can also learn how many people receive government assistance.
We’ll see you next week.