Snap Benefits 2025

Over the last few years prices have been rising due to inflation which can be attributed to many factors, but most stem from the impacts of COVID-19. According to Michael Gapen, head of the US Economic Research at Bank of America, recent inflation has been caused by changing consumer behaviors due to the pandemic. At the start of COVID in 2020 people were buying less so they were saving more but when restrictions eased up people began to spend more. The increased spending put a strain on companies because they could not keep up, which caused a reduction in production. The war in Ukraine is another cause of inflation as it caused supply chain issues which have increased energy prices (Paul, 2023).

Now focusing more on food, prices, especially in recent months, have increased. A dozen eggs in 2018 were around $1.74 and now in May 2025 it is around $4.58 (FRED, 2025). A gallon of milk in 2018 was approximately $2.87 and now in May 2025 it is about $4.23 (FRED, 2025). These food items are regularly bought and a necessity for many, but with the 2.5-dollar increase in price, many cannot afford them. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps combat this problem (SNAP has been around for a long time, so it was not an inflation solution, but more people have applied since food prices have increased).

SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program. This program serves around 12.6% of the country which equals around 42.1 million people per month – 1 in 8 people – (USDA, 2024). In Michigan SNAP serves around 15% of the state population, which equals about 1,474,400 residents – 1 in 7 people – (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2025). SNAP provides “nutritional support for working families with low-paying jobs, low-income older adults (60+), people with disabilities who have fixed incomes, and other people with low-incomes” (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2024). To qualify for SNAP, one’s gross monthly income must be at or below $2,798 for a three-person household. However, if you are older than 60 or have a disability, you do not have to meet this requirement. One’s income after deductions must be about $25,824 a year for a three-person household, and one’s assets must fall below $3,000 or $4,500 for people who are 60+ or have a disability. To apply each state has their own application and then applicants will have an eligibility interview. A household must reapply every six to twelve months. If your household is deemed eligible for the program, they will receive an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card that has monthly benefits, usually $187, on it that can only be used for food (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2024). The federal government pays for the SNAP benefits which cost $115 billion (about $350 per person in the US) a year, and the states operate them and pay half of the operating costs.

One of SNAP’s main goals is to lessen the severity and extent of poverty and hardship. Households that are a part of SNAP can use the money that they would have used to buy food on rent or utilities, which reduces the rate of homelessness as these people have money to pay their rent. Another goal of SNAP’s is to increase healthy eating habits. Individuals who receive lower incomes tend to not eat as healthily as higher income individuals because they have less money to spend on groceries, and healthier items tend to be more expensive. SNAP allows low-income households to afford healthier foods without financial strain. SNAP also runs nutrition programs that teach about making healthy food choices that households are eligible to participate in. In tandem, SNAP participants tend to have lower health care costs. Many researchers believe this is due to the participants making better food choices. Also, by having lower health care costs, the money that would have gone towards that can now be allocated to other pressing areas.

SNAP is an essential program as it gives lower-income households access to food and more specifically healthier options that they might not have otherwise. As said above, for a family to be eligible for SNAP their annual income must be at or below $25,824 (just above poverty level), however in 2024 the average monthly expenses for a three-person household were $6,400 which translates to about $77,280 annually. Those who qualify for SNAP, their annual income is three times less than the average annual expenses for a three-person household. A three-person household would make it for four months, if they spent $6,400 a month. Further, the average monthly grocery cost for a household of three is around $600 to $1,000. A household who qualifies for SNAP would be able to match this, but all their income would be going towards groceries, and not rent, utilities, and other necessities. All of this demonstrates that without SNAP benefits, households that are eligible would not be able to survive, frankly. They would not have enough money for all the necessities to live. SNAP gives these people a chance to rebuild their lives without worrying if there is food on the table.

As said, many times, SNAP is an extremely important government program, but on July 4th Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (a reconciliation plan) that will cut $300 billion (about $920 per person in the US) from SNAP through 2034. This would be the biggest cut to SNAP since it began. Since the bill was signed by Trump, each year, an allotted amount of money would be cut from SNAP until $300 billion is cut in 10 years. As a result of this plan, millions would lose some or all their food assistance, and during a time when groceries are more expensive. Also, SNAP has had about 1 million more participants in 2025, so cutting funding would impact even more people.

The plan has four parts. The first part will reduce the federal contribution to the states’ SNAP programs by 25%. This will make the states have to decide if they want to shift funding from other public services to SNAP or restrict the number of people who can apply. If none of these options are feasible, the states might have to opt out entirely of having a SNAP program.

The second part will expand SNAP’s work requirements, which will take food assistance away from 3.2 million people. Parents with children over 6 and adults 55 to 64 will have to meet the 20-hour per week work requirement or prove they have a disability which will exempt them from this requirement. If they cannot comply, they will only receive food benefits for 3 months every 3 years. According to research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this requirement results in many people losing their benefits, which increases poverty and hardship (Bergh, et al., 2025). However, many believe that this requirement would increase employment rates, but research shows it does the opposite. By having this work requirement, a substantial number of households will lose their benefits.

The third part of the plan is to end food assistance for people with lawful immigration status. The people that would be impacted by this part are individuals granted asylum and refugees, people seeking safety from persecution/violence, and people granted humanitarian relief by the US. If this plan is enacted, 434,000 people would lose their SNAP benefits. In addition, US citizen children living with these lawful immigrants, would lose the SNAP benefits too, even though they legally are eligible. Approximately 98,000 US citizen children would lose their SNAP benefits (Dankner, et al., 2025). People who have lawful immigration status who have fled domestic violence situations and labor/sex trafficking will also have their benefits terminated.

The final part of the plan is cutting food benefits for people with low incomes by freezing the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) and not adjusting for inflation. TFP is the least expensive of the four plans developed by the USDA and is reevaluated every five years. According to the USDA it is “a national standard for a nutritious diet at a minimal cost” (Hartline-Grafton & Vollinger, 2025). The TFP is an outline or basis for determining the maximum SNAP benefits for each fiscal year by showing the cost of groceries needed to maintain a healthy diet for a family of four. By freezing the TFP, SNAP benefits would not keep pace with the actual cost of having a healthy diet, which will make it harder for lower-income households to afford healthy foods, which will in turn increase poverty rates and increase food insecurity.

Switching to a more focused lens, the big question is how this bill will impact Yad Ezra. Unfortunately, Yad Ezra does not know how many of their clients use SNAP benefits, so it will be hard to predict what will happen if this bill passes. Hannah Fine, the Giving Gardens Assistant and Outreach Coordinator, is well versed in all things SNAP and the reconciliation bill and she predicts that the number of clients will not increase if the bill passes and people’s SNAP benefits decrease or go away completely, but the clients need will increase. Since Yad Ezra is a supplemental kosher food pantry, most clients do not rely on Yad Ezra for all their food, but if SNAP benefits go away, the clients may need a bigger volume of food.

All in all, because the One Big Beautiful Bill was passed, over the next 10 years there will be an increase in poverty and hardships among many who rely on SNAP benefits. It will also become harder for food pantries like Yad Ezra as the clients will start to need more food to get through each month.

References

Bergh, K. (2025, May 13). Expanded Work Requirements in House Republican Bill Would Take Away Food Assistance from Millions: State and Congressional District Estimates | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/expanded-work-requirements-in-house-republican-bill-would-take-away-food

Bergh, K., Rosenbaum, D., & Nchako, C. (2025, January 13). Republican SNAP Proposals Could Take Food Away From Millions of Low-Income Individuals and Families | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/republican-snap-proposals-could-take-food-away-from-millions-of-low-income

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (2025, January 21). Michigan Food Assistance Program. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/snap_factsheet_michigan.pdf

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2024, November 25). Policy basics: The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP). Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap‌

Dankner, M., Gonzales, S., Lower-Basch, E., Rachamallu, K. (2025, May 29). House Republican Reconciliation Bill Takes Away Health Coverage, Food Assistance, Tax Credits from Millions of Immigrants and Their Families | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/immigration/house-republican-reconciliation-bill-takes-away-health-coverage-food

Hartline-Grafton, H., Advisor, S., SNAP, Vollinger, E., & Director, L. S. (n.d.). Thrifty Food Plan 101 (Part 1). Food Research & Action Center. https://frac.org/blog/thrifty-food-plan-101-part-1

Jones, J. (2023). Percent of population receiving SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2023 | Economic Research Service. Usda.gov. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/chart-detail?chartId=55416

Paul, T. (2023, August 15). Why is inflation so high? An economist explains why everyday essentials cost more. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/select/why-is-inflation-so-high/

SNAP and the Thrifty Food Plan | USDA-FNS. (2025, January 28). Www.fns.usda.gov. https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/thriftyfoodplan

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1980, January 1). Average Price: Eggs, Grade A, Large (Cost per Dozen) in U.S. City Average. FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000708111

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1980, January 1). Average Price: Milk, Fresh, Whole, Fortified (Cost per Gallon/3.8 Liters) in U.S. City Average. (2025). Stlouisfed.org. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000709112

USDA Food Plans | Food and Nutrition Service. (2021). Usda.gov. https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/cnpp/usda-food-plans