Administration raises food stamp benefits by historic 27%

Food stamp benefits will jump 27% above pre-pandemic levels, on average, starting in October – the largest increase in the program’s history, the Biden administration announced Monday.

The boost, which advocates say is long overdue, stems from an update to the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines the benefit amounts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps. The plan estimates the cost of groceries needed to provide a budget-conscious diet for a family of four.

Republican lawmakers, however, are already questioning the revision and its increased cost. ...