Pandemic Food Stamps Subsidies are being Withdrawn |

At a time when inflation is high, Americans who have grown accustomed to subsidies such as Food Stamps, or Medicare may no longer qualify an millions of Americans are subject to the disqualifications.

States around the country are attempting to make it harder for needy families to access federal food-assistance programs. People protesting SNAP reduction

Lawmakers in Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, and other states have proposed more restrictive policies to qualify for food assistance. These policies include cutting off benefits to those who have saved a little money or who own a decent car or adding paperwork requirements to document small changes in income and efforts to find work.

The moves come even as more than 20 million adults reported that their households sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the week ending June 7, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

When pandemic aid that has boosted food-stamp benefits gets cut next week, millions of low-income Americans will confront smaller balances in the accounts they use to pay for groceries, leaving food banks bracing for a spike in demand.

As of March 1, the emergency allotment for individuals and households enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will end in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

That means recipient households will see their monthly grocery allocations reduced by at least $95, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning research and policy think tank. In daily terms, that equates to trimming the roughly $9 per-person average to about $6.10. Moreover, the change comes when food prices in January increased 10% over the same month last year.

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According to Charles Jones, a 63-year-old U.S. military veteran based in Rockford, Illinois, he received an enhanced monthly SNAP benefit of $281 under the temporary program. After it ends next week, his payments will plummet to $23 — the minimum monthly amount.

“When they cut this extra benefit from SNAP, that’s going to put me in a serious problem,” he said.

Jones said his pandemic-era SNAP payments helped him move out of a homeless shelter and into a $650-a-month studio apartment earlier this month. He said he’s concerned that when his allotment is slashed — likely because he also receives Social Security disability insurance payments — his rent and utilities will consume all of his income, jeopardizing his new shot at stability.