Some 38.6 million Americans were enrolled in SNAP at latest count, down by one-fifth from the peak of 47.6 million during fiscal 2013 and the slow recovery from the Great Recession. Enrollment will drop further, to 32 million people, during the coming decade, estimated the CBO in its budget outlook on Monday.
“Participation rates continue to decrease through 2029 until they return to rates seen just before the recession, about 9 percent of the population, or 32 million people,” according to CBO projections. At 9 percent, 1 in 11 people would receive food stamps, compared to the current 1 in 8.
SNAP costs are projected to decline through 2021 because of the decline in enrollment. In 2022, they would begin to rise slowly due to rising costs of food, according to CBO projections. Benefits are adjusted annually for inflation.
House Republicans, encouraged by the White House, insisted for months during 2018 that stricter work requirements should be imposed on SNAP recipients. They gave up on the idea after the November mid-term elections gave Democrats a majority in the House. At the same time that he signed the 2018 farm bill, which did not change food stamp benefits, President Trump said the administration would restrict the power of states to waive the usual 90-day limit on food stamps for able-bodied adults who do not work at least 20 hours a week. Antihunger activists say the proposed USDA rule would end benefits to several hundred thousand people.
For CBO projections of SNAP enrollment and costs, click here.