The November continuing resolution included a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, marking a temporary reprieve for Marylanders relying on nutrition programs.

The extension will hold spending at 2018 levels through September 30. But in the years since the last farm bill was passed, the nation has seen dramatic food-price inflation.

The historical average food-price increase was around 2% per year, but in 2022 food-at-home prices increased 11% - and while inflation has slowed recently, another 5% increase was seen in 2023.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts food price inflation will continue to slow in 2024, but that will not undo the price increases seen in recent years.

The political prospects for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP have been up and down since the summer, but Michael J Wilson - director of the nonprofit Maryland Hunger Solutions - said cuts to nutrition programs reverberate through the economy.

"When we make cuts - in SNAP, for example - it doesn't just hurt low-income folks," said Wilson. "It hurts the entire food system, where we're losing additional revenue - for grocery stores, for farmers' markets, for farmers, for producers. We really hope that Congress will look at this holistically and systemically and not just politically."

Wilson said when the SNAP emergency allotments ended last March, it reduced the amount of money in the Maryland economy by $69 million a month.

Nutrition supports in the farm bill are numerous and not limited to SNAP.

They include the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and focused programs such as the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program - which provide low-income seniors with access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey and herbs.

Looking at the bigger picture Wilson said emerging science is reminding us about the importance of nutrition.

"The thing that's a little novel is the way we're now talking about food as medicine," said Wilson. "Because we recognize that people who don't have access to nutritious food has an impact on their health, has an impact on our health-care system, has an impact on both Medicaid and Medicare."

Data from the Congressional Research Service reports that more than 41 million Americans rely on nutrition assistance in the average month.





get more stories like this via email

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


get more stories like this via email

Almost 3.5 million Texans utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to purchase food.

The budget reconciliation bill recently signed into law by President Donald Trump cuts SNAP benefits by approximately $186 billion nationwide.

Celia Cole, CEO of the nonprofit Feeding Texas, said the state has three options to make up for the $800 million needed to keep the program operating at its current rate.

"Raising new revenue, which is not going to happen in a state like Texas, or diverting revenue from other essential services or simply cutting benefits," Cole outlined. "Worst case scenario, just walking away from the program entirely."

She pointed out the cuts will push seniors, veterans, working parents and children further into poverty. Even with SNAP benefits, more than 17% of Texans experienced food insecurity last year.

Feeding Texas is a network of food banks assisting Texans in all 254 counties across the state. Cole noted they are helping as many people now as they did during the pandemic and cuts in the federal budget will only increase the need for help.

"For every meal food banks put on the table, SNAP puts nine meals on the table," Cole emphasized. "It's the most effective way to get food to people in need. We are going to be reaching out to our supporters, our donors from philanthropy to corporations to the state government to try and make up for as much of the loss as we can."

She added fallout from the cuts will also negatively affect farmers, grocers and the overall Texas economy.

"It's not the way to go about balancing a budget," Cole argued. "We've said this before, a budget is a moral document and this one clearly fails the test."


get more stories like this via email

Now that President Donald Trump's big budget bill has been signed into law, Arkansas nonprofits that rely on federal funding to help people in need are trying to figure out how they will continue to serve their clients.

The legislation calls for cutting billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Lance Whitney, advocacy director with Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, said it would cost food banks across the state almost $46 million a year to continue to help those who face food insecurity.

"That does not include the cost of increased capacity needed to serve those individuals," said Whitney, "like in warehouse space, the vehicles the staffing to hand out that, the refrigeration. With those included it would ramp it up to an additional probably $10 million."

Whitney predicted that children, veterans, caregivers, and older adults in Arkansas will suffer the most because of the cuts. Arkansas has the highest food insecurity rate in the nation.

The federal government will start cost-sharing with states for SNAP benefits in 2027. The amount the government contributes to administrative costs will be cut from 50% to 25%, leaving states responsible for 75% of the total cost.

Whitney said state and local governments will have to divert money from other essential services to cover SNAP benefits.

"It can't be ignored when you have people who can't eat, health care that's going down, school lunches that can't be provided for," said Whitney. "So every community, every person in the state of Arkansas - whether you're a SNAP recipient or a Medicaid recipient, or just a community person - you're going to have a challenge with this."

The legislation expands work requirements for older adults and parents with children age seven and older.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, that could take food assistance away from more than three million adults a month.





get more stories like this via email