Farmers represent 1-in-100 Americans; 1-in-8 Americans receive SNAP benefits
The week that US SNAP benefits are balancing on a cliff face, the New York Times chose to highlight the Trump Administration impact on Iowa farmers. Farmers represent about 1.3% of the US population. SNAP beneficiaries: 12.3%, including 1.2 million veterans.
One in eight rural households rely on SNAP. Even though 24% of Americans (82 million) live in a rural-defined area, the NYT chose to focus on an US micro-minority.
Unfortunately, the NYTimes isn’t the only news organization muzzling Donald Trump’s attack on SNAP. At noon Pacific, the home pages of CNN, FOX News, the LATimes, the NYT and the Washington Post are devoid of this clarion call. Nor is this the first time US media have failed democracy this year.
Saturday, Heather Cox Richardson highlighted a September statement from USDA about the SNAP program, reported by Roll Call:
Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown. These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year (emphasis added).
This statement is at odds with the new White House claim that no SNAP benefits can be paid. That’s obviously a lie.
Moreover, SNAP benefits accounted for “about 8% of the food U.S. families buy,” meaning this cliff face affects small and large grocery retailers. Nothing on that today, either.
Richardson also noted:
“If the SNAP program shuts down, we will have the most mass hunger suffering we’ve had in America since the Great Depression.”
~ Joel Berg, Hunger Free America
I’ve seen nothing about lawsuits challenging USDA’s refusal to use Congressionally allocated funds.
This gamesmanship is about the summer budget reconciliation bill which would sunset Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. The result is premiums will soar from 30% to 100% for 2026.
According to KFF, a record 24.3 million people in 2025 got their health insurance from the ACA marketplace in 2025. Some of those people also get SNAP benefits, probably.
Today the union representing 800,000 federal workers called on the Democrats to acquiese to Republican refusal to negotiate.
Will the Democrats stick to their ACA demands or succumb to the greater numerical impact of SNAP benefit denial or the loss of union support? If we follow the ethics of utilitarianism, ensuring SNAP benefits continue “wins.”
In sum, the numbers:
- 800,000 members of the American Federation of Government Employees say end the shutdown
- 1.2 million veterans get SNAP benefits
- 1.88 million U.S. farms where “farm” is defined as a piece of ground that could generate $1,000 in income; 86% generate less than $350,000 and are considered “small”
- 24.3 million people bought ACA insurance for calendar 2025
- 41.7 million Americans receive SNAP benefits each month
- 82 million Americans live in rural-defined areas;
- SNAP accounts for about 8% of grocery spending each month
Trump gave Argentina $20 billion, unallocated by Congress, but won’t release funds for SNAP that have been allocated.
It’s his version of ‘let them eat cake.’
~~~
Updates:
- “Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Monday said the state is considering joining legal action to keep federal low-income food assistance dollars flowing.”
- “Wisconsin will join a multi-state lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture to force the release of contingency funding for FoodShare before benefits run dry for thousands of Wisconsin residents on Nov. 1.
- U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is backing a new bill to keep food assistance flowing during the government shutdown.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com