Millions of Americans who are in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see decreases in payments after February, a federal agency said.
The decreases in payments are driven by two main factors, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) said in an update in early January.
FNS is an agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Firstly, the temporary increase to SNAP benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic—also known as emergency allotments—will end after the February 2023 payment.
The emergency allotments gave most SNAP households approximately $95 in extra payment, the agency said.
“All SNAP households have or will see a decrease to the SNAP benefits they receive when emergency allotments end. Some SNAP households already experienced that change; others will in February or March 2023,” FNS said in the announcement….