Food stamp benefits have just been increased during COVID-19, USDA announces

Benefits have increased for food stamp recipients during the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that benefit increases reached $2 billion per month for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households, which receive food stamps, according to a news release. SNAP monthly benefits have increased by 40% overall.

“These are unprecedented times for American families who are facing joblessness and hunger. USDA is providing a 40% increase in SNAP benefits to ensure that low-income individuals have enough food to feed themselves and their families during this national emergency,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a statement.

“President Trump is taking care of America’s working-class families who have been hit hard with economic distress due to the coronavirus. Ensuring all households receive the maximum allowable SNAP benefit is an important part of President Trump’s whole of America response to the coronavirus.”

For households with two adults and three children with no income, the maximum benefit is $768 but can be $528 due to “reportable income and other factors,” the release said. The new benefits would give households an extra $240 in food stamps.

Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), giving emergency benefits of around $2 billion per month, according to the news release.

The Trump administration previously tried to implement stricter work requirements for food stamp recipients, which were supposed to go into effect on April 1, according to The New York Times. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a court injunction on the work requirements, which the administration was going to appeal, the outlet reported.

The new rule would have resulted in nearly 700,000 people losing their SNAP benefits, The New York Times reported, citing the Agriculture Department’s estimates.

Congress got rid of the work requirement during the pandemic and the Agriculture Department has agreed not to appeal the temporary injunction with the final decision likely being issued in the fall, according to The New York Times.

This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Food stamp benefits have just been increased during COVID-19, USDA announces."