Food stamp enrollment is forecast for 37.1 million people this fiscal year, the lowest figure since the early days of the Great Recession. The antihunger program could cost $69.2 billion this fiscal year, according to Senate appropriators, down 6 percent from fiscal 2019, which ended on Sept. 30, and far below the nearly $80 billion cost when SNAP participation peaked early this decade.
“The decline in SNAP participation is likely due largely to the improving economy,” said the think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which analyzed the decline during the summer. “By the end of 2018, the share of the population participating in SNAP had returned to late-2009 levels and is projected to fall further.”
At its peak in 2013, enrollment in SNAP averaged 47.6 million people a month. It fell to roughly 40 million in 2018. The CBO estimates it will be 37.1 billion in fiscal 2020 and fall below 36 million in 2021. This year’s enrollment would be the lowest since 33.5 million in 2009.
By design, SNAP enrollment rises during times of economic distress and declines during recoveries.
The Center on Budget said enrollment remains above pre-recession levels because “most state have made considerable progress in reaching more eligible households.” The Trump administration says stricter eligibility rules are needed to move work-capable adults into employment.