BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
This week at CBPP, we focused on health, food assistance, and state budgets and taxes.
- On food assistance, Joseph Llobrera and Catlin Nchako pointed out that number of people receiving SNAP food assistance is at its lowest point in 17 years, despite the lack of economic improvement and high food prices.
- On health, Claire Heyison explained that the White House’s plan to send one-time cash payments to a small subset of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees falls short of addressing the massive coverage losses and increased premiums due to Republican health policies.
- On state budgets and taxes, we updated our backgrounder on how state budgets work.
Chart of the Week — SNAP Participation Has Fallen to Lowest Point in 17 Years, Though the Economy Has Not Improved And Food Prices Remain High
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
Just. So. Much. Corruption.
The Bulwark
October 15, 2026
How Trump’s megabill may be affecting you right now
CNN
October 15, 2026
Rising costs and SNAP cuts put a new pressure on food banks and families
Colorado Public Radio
October 15, 2026
Senator: Trade fight with Canada will have lasting impacts
Agri-Pulse
October 15, 2026
As Black wealth drops 25%, critics say Trump’s agenda is making the squeeze worse
TheGrio
October 14, 2026
Your Social Security check will rise an average of $75 a month — will it be able to keep up with inflation?
MarketWatch
October 14, 2026
Don’t miss any of our posts, papers, or charts — follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.
Authors
