ByErik Sherman,
Senior Contributor.
The Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program and subsidies for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act are now done. There’s been no negotiation as congressional Republicans insist on a straight extension of a budget that has no provision for either program.
As for Saturday, November 1, SNAP assistance will be cut off. It means a brutal shutdown for many people in or near poverty and ultimately an impact on the economy.
Someone on X claimed that SNAP spending almost doubled when Biden was president. Total spending on the program had been falling since the $107.1 billion in 2013, after a period of sharp growth following the Great Recession. Total spending in 2019 fell to $74 billion. Then it jumped to $132.2 billion in 2021. That was set by Congress and signed by then-President Trump because of the pandemic, after which it started falling, dropping to $100.3 billion in 2024, which would be the 2024 federal fiscal budget — under Biden.
