Which states have the largest number of SNAP recipients?
Starting Saturday, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions are at risk as the effects of the weeks-long federal government shutdown widen.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the food stamp program, said last week that it would not use more than $5 million in emergency funding allocated by Congress for emergency scenarios. SNAP benefits next month are estimated at $8 billion.
SNAP funding is provided to states monthly, with the federal government and states splitting administrative costs and states running their own programs.
In fiscal year 2024, approximately 41.7 million people received SNAP benefits each month, according to the USDA. The federal government spent $99.8 billion on the program, which equates to approximately $187.20 per recipient per month.
As time goes by, states across the country, from Texas to Florida to New York, are sounding the alarm. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank dedicated to combating poverty and inequality, at least 5% of the population of every state and Washington, D.C., received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024.
New Mexico, at 21 percent, had the highest percentage of residents receiving SNAP benefits, followed by Washington, D.C., at 20 percent, Louisiana and Oregon at 18 percent, and Oklahoma at 17 percent.
Massachusetts, at 16 percent, and Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, at 15 percent, round out the top 10.
The SNAP emergency fund can only be used following unexpected events, such as natural disasters, the USDA said in a memo Friday.
But in a since-deleted shutdown plan published by the USDA on Sept. 30, the department noted that it was charged by Congress with allocating SNAP benefits using the emergency fund during a lapse in funding.
