Washington, D.C. — The 2021 increase in the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) was a long-overdue reform that helped millions of families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) put food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic. As negotiations for the 2023 Farm Bill continue, a new Center for American Progress column calls on Congress to protect the 2021 TFP increase to best support food security for SNAP recipients.
The 2021 TFP increase helped millions of people afford basic necessities and was the first time since 1975 that the program was reevaluated to address rising food costs and dietary restrictions. The 2021 TFP increase of an additional $12 to $16 per person per month compared with the months prior helped keep nearly 2.3 million people out of poverty and supports 240,088 jobs each year. Any potential cuts to SNAP could push millions of people back into poverty and cause significant job losses.
The column also examines the bipartisan nature of the 2021 TFP increase, how SNAP participants have benefited from it so far, why it is critical to keep it, and how removing the 2021 reevaluation would have devastating impacts on jobs and food security.
“Nearly half of SNAP recipients come from historically marginalized communities,” said Anona Neal, research associate for Inclusive Economy at CAP and co-author of the column. “Any attempts to strip away the 2021 TFP reevaluation would disproportionately hurt Black and Hispanic people and women of color and further drive food scarcity for already struggling communities. Congress must keep the current TFP, not revert to the TFP formula that would keep purchasing power at 1975 levels, to protect jobs and ensure families do not have to go hungry.”
“Since the initial TFP, the program has failed to properly address rising costs of groceries and dietary restrictions,” said Kyle Ross, research associate for Inclusive Economy at CAP and co-author of the column. “The 2021 reevaluation of the TFP was a huge step in the right direction, and any attempts to cut back the program will hurt millions of Americans who depend on SNAP’s additional monthly increase to put food on the table and support their jobs through the increased economic activity SNAP brings to communities across the nation.”
Read the column: “To Support Food Security, the Thrifty Food Plan Increase Should Be Protected in the 2023 Farm Bill” by Anona Neal and Kyle Ross
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