Among them were the disruptions to food assistance benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California, after funding ran out at the end of October. More than 42 million people across the country, including over five million Californians, rely on these programs.
And the shutdown saw a number of back-and-forth fights over funding SNAP, which rose to the Supreme Court level, and left millions in a state of uncertainty and turning to food banks and other charity systems for help.
The unprecedented disruption also came five years after the COVID-19 pandemic saw emergency expansions of these programs to help more people put food on the table.
Lauren Au is an Associate Professor of Nutrition at UC Davis. Her work includes research on improving diets and the health of children and families from low-income backgrounds. She also evaluates federal assistance programs including school meals and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program.
Au spoke with Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez about how food assistance benefits work, and how they can be vulnerable to decisions made on the federal level.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
What would you like people to know about these assistance programs, like SNAP or WIC, and how does one qualify for them?
SNAP is the biggest anti-hunger program, and I want to highlight the word “supplemental” because most, if not all, of these programs are supplemental in nature. In 2023 there were 42 million Americans that received SNAP benefits, or one in eight, and SNAP supports children, the elderly, individuals with a disability. These are really everyday people.
Eligibility for SNAP is determined on income. They qualify if they have an income of 130% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that's approximately $41,000 per year. It’s different for WIC… it's a higher income eligibility of 185% of federal poverty level and a nutritional risk criteria.
There have been several misconceptions about these benefits, especially during the government shutdown. Can you provide some clarity on who these programs are helping?
Most SNAP households are in poverty. 73% have an income at or below 100% of poverty level. The qualification was 130%, but for the majority of participants… their income is $32,000 or less per year. Nearly 90% of SNAP recipients are native-born American citizens and 96% are citizens [in general], that’s reported by USDA. Both Democrats and Republicans receive SNAP.
As a researcher and someone who's passionate about this work, how does it feel to watch this get politicized?
Honestly, it's really heartbreaking. I do a lot of my work within WIC and school meals, we work with very vulnerable populations. SNAP, during the shutdown, should never have been at risk for not having benefits come on cards, and that’s what we’re hearing from participants.
I've worked in Congress — in 2013 when we had another government shutdown — and while there’s always a risk that the benefits will end, USDA has always stepped forward and provided contingency funding in those situations. This is really unprecedented, and it is very scary for making kids and families go hungry.
How much are the average SNAP recipients getting per day to spend on food? Is that enough for a healthy diet?
The average person on SNAP receives about $180 a month, which equates to about $6 per day. I went to the grocery store yesterday and [with $6] I bought carrots and celery and a couple onions. It's not much at all.
This amount is based on this calculation called the Thrifty Food Plan, which I was part of the valuation in 2021. It raised it from previously $5 per day to $6 per day. I want to add, that amount is no longer able to be raised for the cost of food because in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” they put a provision in that restricts that amount from going higher.
It can also be confusing learning about what foods qualify or don’t qualify for SNAP or WIC benefits. How can program participants navigate that?
For SNAP participants they can receive money to buy fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry, fish. dairy products, breads, and cereals. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy household supplies like toothpaste or toilet paper; you cannot use it to buy vitamins, minerals, alcohol or cigarettes. And, you also cannot use SNAP [funds] to buy hot foods [like a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket].
A lot of the participants do not have time to make the food that you would need through this plan, it’s really unrealistic. And unfortunately, time and the cost of time was not included in that $6 per day.
You mentioned that this government shutdown has been unprecedented in terms of the impact to SNAP. Is there any comparison between now and the pandemic, which also had an unprecedented impact on food access?
During COVID [and] the economic downturn, we saw federal assistance programs actually increase benefits, and more flexibility around enrollment and certification. For example within WIC there was an increase to the cash value benefit to purchase fruits and vegetables. It went from $9 a month to $35 a month in 2021, and now it stabilized about $26 a month for children. In SNAP, to help with the job losses, we saw benefits increased by around $150 per month. However, that ended in 2023.
So really, this is not a comparison whatsoever because during the shutdown we've seen the exact opposite. We've seen the Trump administration not provide benefits, and in some situations try to claw back some of the benefits that were already distributed to participants.
How are you advising people to be effective in using or accessing these benefits?
We're really lucky in California that our programs are doing a good job with outreach. I will say that one of the best outreach opportunities within SNAP, unfortunately, was just cut in this administration and that was SNAP Education. That used to provide healthy meal and budget planning for SNAP recipients, and it was completely stripped. So [with] that shortfall we are using other programs and other outreach systems, WIC has amazing nutrition education as well as school meals, however we’re still seeing huge gaps in terms of services that are able to provide for participants.
What advice do you have for someone trying to navigate these assistance programs, and how to use their money to effectively get nutritious food?
The easiest way, and the best way, to have a healthy diet requires both money and time, and it's two things that are very hard to come by. The time to plan menus, to travel to and from grocery stores, to comparison shop, and to prepare meals.
One of the best ways we see within WIC for having a healthier diet is utilizing that cash value benefit to purchase fruits and vegetables. It's giving them the most flexibility to choose which fruits and vegetables they want to provide, and we're hearing from participants that it's really making a difference. We’re seeing [the] impact on food security, we’re seeing changes in what they’re buying.
What would you tell people who may, in some capacity, support changes to food benefit programs, or those who believe people are taking advantage of the system?
I would say that $6 a day is not a lot of money. It is a supplemental program and it feeds hungry children. Everyone knows someone that receives SNAP, and if they don’t it’s because people feel stigmatized being on the program. So, having empathy and heart right now could go a long way.