SNAP Benefits Set for May 10 as Congress Debates Program's Future
Proposed $230 billion cuts could impact over 75,000 South Dakotans
(Graphic by FRAC.org)
(Broadcast reader is below the main story.)
By Todd Epp, Northern Plains News
Officials report that South Dakota will distribute May's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on the 10th while congressional Republicans pursue cuts that could threaten food security for vulnerable residents.
The House of Representatives passed a budget resolution on February 25 directing the Agriculture Committee to cut programs in its jurisdiction by at least $230 billion through 2034, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports.
"The proposed SNAP cuts would strip away food assistance from millions of families, increase hunger and negative health outcomes, and weaken local economies," said Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), in a press release.
According to July 2024 data from the state Department of Social Services, SNAP supports approximately 75,884 residents in 37,614 households in South Dakota. Half of SNAP households in the state include children, 47 percent have someone with a disability, and 33 percent include older adults, according to FRAC.
FRAC reports that the average monthly SNAP benefit in South Dakota is $401.75 per household. In fiscal year 2024, SNAP brought $180,195,817 to the state's economy.
South Dakotans already experienced significant SNAP reductions when the state ended pandemic-related Emergency Allotments in February 2023, creating what advocates called a "hunger cliff." At that time, over 34,600 households lost an average of $82 monthly in benefits, according to FRAC's analysis.
The cuts particularly affected older adults on minimum benefits, whose monthly assistance dropped from $281 to just $23, FRAC reported.
SNAP also functions as an economic driver. The program supports 789 retailers across South Dakota, which redeemed more than $156 million in 2023, FRAC data indicates. Each year on October first, the federal government adjusts SNAP benefits to reflect changes in the cost of living and other important factors, including maximum benefit amounts and income eligibility standards, according to Snapscreener.com, a SNAP eligibility resource.
Between 2019 and 2023, approximately 80 percent of SNAP households in South Dakota included someone who was working, contradicting perceptions that the program primarily supports non-working individuals, FRAC noted.
According to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study, 11.7 percent of South Dakotans experience food insecurity. According to FRAC, SNAP provides nine meals for every meal a food pantry can offer.
Another recent change affecting SNAP recipients is that the statutory authority to replace stolen benefits expired on December 20, 2024. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, benefits stolen after December 21, 2024, are not eligible for replacement using federal funds.
While the federal government funds SNAP, the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system allows participants to pay for food using their benefits, according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. EBT has been the sole method of SNAP issuance in all states since June 2004.
--30--
BROADCAST READER:
South Dakota will issue May SNAP benefits on the 10th while Congress debates $230 billion in proposed cuts to the program over the next decade.
That's according to reporting by Northern Plains News.
According to the Food Research & Action Center, more than 75,000 South Dakotans receive SNAP benefits, and the average household receives $401 monthly.
Feeding America reports that 11.7 percent of South Dakotans currently experience food insecurity, with SNAP providing nine meals for every meal a food pantry offers.