By Kathy White
Half a million Coloradans will have a harder time putting food on the table this Thanksgiving when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, expires on November 1st. These cuts are bad for families and bad for Colorado’s economy. (See our new report with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
These cuts will increase hardship for many Coloradans struggling to feed themselves and their kids. The average SNAP benefit will drop by about $29 a month for a family of three. This means that families will now need to make do on roughly $1.40 per person per meal – a real challenge when the price of healthy fruits and vegetables keeps going up.
The cuts will also mean the loss of $55 million in federal money that flows to every community in the state, money that has a powerful ripple effect in local economies. Moody’s Economy.com found that every $1 in SNAP that a family spends generates about $1.70 in total economic activity. Every $1 billion in food purchased by families with SNAP translates to 3,000 U.S. farm jobs, according to one study. Many more jobs distributing, packaging, stocking and selling food rely on SNAP. When we cut SNAP, we all suffer.
As the economy continues to recover and families get back on their feet, slashing SNAP benefits just doesn’t make sense. Congress should act now to protect SNAP funding and keep us all moving forward.
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