A top priority for lawmakers this month should be raising SNAP (food stamp) benefits as a way of mitigating hardship and injecting fast, high “bang-for-the-buck” stimulus into the economy.

The number and share of Americans without health insurance coverage rose for the third consecutive year in 2019, according to data released today from the American Community Survey (ACS).

Income rose and poverty declined in 2019, but the number of Americans without health insurance increased for the third consecutive year despite a growing economy.

Extending P-EBT in combination with other measures to provide additional food assistance, increase income, and stabilize housing would provide ongoing, needed relief.

Next Tuesday’s release of Census Bureau data on health insurance, poverty, and income for 2019 will provide a record of conditions in the United States before the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession hit. Needless to say, those data will bear little resemblance to conditions today.

It would be unwise and self-defeating to let debt concerns deter policymakers from taking needed steps to fight hardship and to bolster and then revive the economy.

Georgia is seeking federal permission to dismantle this pathway to health insurance, endangering coverage and access to care for tens of thousands of people.

Most families and individuals who meet the program’s income guidelines are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program).  

President Trump’s new executive actions should deeply concern all Americans. They fall dramatically short of responding effectively to the enormous need across the country due to COVID-19 and the deep recession. 

Policymakers should include an increase in the weeks of benefits available in this legislation.