Enrollment in the food stamp program rose by 2 pct in fiscal 2013, the slowest growth since fiscal 2007, says the Daily Yonder in reviewing a USDA report on public nutrition programs. The Yonder notes food stamp cuts were the headline issue of the just-completed farm bill and enrollment has risen for 13 years in a row. Since 2000, enrollment has more than doubled.
In its summary of the report, USDA says, “About 1 in 4 Americans participates in at least 1 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs at some point during the year. Together these programs, which vary by size, type of benefi ts provided, and target population, form a nutritional safety net for millions of children and low-income adults. These programs account for over 70 percent of USDA’s annual budget.”
Food stamp participation at latest count, Nov 2013, was 46.033 mln, down from the peak of 47.76 mln in June.
Here is USDA’s table of enrollment and costs by year.
Last fall, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities projected “that, in fiscal year 2014, SNAP spending will not only continue to decline as a share of GDP but will fall 5 percent in nominal (non-inflation-adjusted) terms.” Over the longer term, enrollment will drop by 20 million people, said the think tank, pointing to a CBO estimate.