There’s going to have to be further belt-tightening for many Maryland residents as the Consolidated Appropriations Act recently passed by Congress has brought about the end of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Emergency Allotment. The EA came into being at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and provided extra funds each month to everyone on food stamps, offering some relief to the financial pressures many were under.
Now the axe has fallen on the EA, everyone on food stamps can expect a reduction in their allotments. The amount of the reduction will, of course, be subject to the old calculations based on the household size, income and expenses. The most a household of one can possibly now get is $281, while a family of four will receive no more than $939 a month.
The reduction in SNAP allotments comes at a time when the USDA is predicting ‘food at home ‘ (groceries) prices to increase 8.6% in 2023, a rate that is somewhat markedly above the historical average of 3.29% (according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics).