As if last month’s battle over the funding levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were not bad enough, the ongoing Federal shutdown is likely to impact what assistance poor clients are currently receiving.
Cindy George, Houston Chronicle
Food stamp recipients in Texas need to prepare for a reduction in benefits with or without continued gridlock in Washington but nutrition programs for pregnant women, new moms and babies aren’t in immediate jeopardy.
A prolonged federal government shutdown might delay November’s disbursements to millions of Texans, but a planned cut to food stamps – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP – already was set to begin next month.
In Texas, more than 3.4 million people representing 1.4 million families receive federal SNAP benefits, which are administered by the state. In the greater Houston area, roughly 800,000 people depend on the supplement.
The potential double-whammy looming in the food stamp program dates back to the 2009 stimulus.”They passed a big increase and tried to see if the normal annual cost-of-living increases would catch up,” said Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman.
That didn’t happen. So, whenever SNAP cards are reset next month, the amounts will be roughly $11 less per person. “For a low-income family, that’s going to be a hit,” Goodman said…
…Pregnant women and guardians of youngsters will continue to receive benefits through the Women, Infants and Children program, also known as WIC, because the state has enough money to keep the program running – for now.
Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the agency will make its $48 million-a-month commitment in October to provide supplemental nutrition and education to nearly 950,000 low-income pregnant women, mothers and children.
“We’re using federal funds we had before the shutdown to continue to provide services,” she wrote in an email. “If the shutdown continues, it could start impacting services in the longer term.”
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)
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