The Biden Administration's food stamp benefit expansion will allegedly contribute to price hikes, especially in groceries.
This detail was revealed by a new study, claiming that the food stamp benefit expansion is linked to at least a 15% increase in grocery prices.
Biden Admin's Food Stamp Benefit Expansion Increases Grocery Prices
US Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during a campaign event at the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Delaware on July 28, 2020.
According to Fox News' latest report, the Department of Agriculture released a revised federal food benefit nutritional standards in 2021.
The U.S. government department expanded this program by around 25% from pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
FGA (Foundation for Government Accountability) released its findings, showing that the overall spending of SNAP (Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program) increased more than 2x between 2019 and 2022.
Specifically, it went from $4.5 billion (2019) to $11 billion (2022), as claimed by FGA's study. The agency said that the food stamp benefit expansion contributes to the worsening price hikes because of overspending.
"USDA cooked their books to hike food stamp benefits by 27% - the largest permanent increase in program history. And they bypassed Congress to do it," said FGA Policy and Research Vice President Jonathan Ingram.
"Data show the Biden administration's overreach led to massive spikes in grocery prices," he added.
Ingram explained that instead of stopping hunger, officials are "feeding inflation."
Food Stamp Benefit to End Soon
A customer shops for food items inside a Tesco supermarket store in east London on January 10, 2022. - UK annual inflation rocketed last November to 5.1 percent, more than double the Bank of England's 2.0-percent target -- price rises for fuel, clothing, food, second-hand cars, and increased tobacco duty all helped drive up inflation.
The University Press reported that the food stamp benefit expansion of the U.S. government will expire soon.
In 2020, Congress passed provisions so that SNAP benefits can be accessed easily by U.S. residents.
U.S. officials did this by raising the maximum benefits by 15%. It also benefits students since those with an Expected Family Contribution of zero are automatically qualified for the SNAP benefits.
Unfortunately, these provisions were already worse off at the start of June. Because of this, many students are now starting to worry about food insecurity becoming a bigger issue.
But, since FGA's study revealed that SNAP contributes to rising grocery prices, its expiration could also reverse its effects.
Of course, this will still depend on the situation. If you want to learn more about the issue with SNAP and its importance for students, you can click here.
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