Food benefits

Kansas lawmakers inserted language in the state budget that would restrict what food benefit recipients can buy. Critics say that defining what counts as unhealthy food and drinks is tricky, and the current ban has glaring loopholes.

Cuts to federal food aid have already reduced the food available at area food pantries and meal sites. If SNAP gets hit too, nonprofits worry they won’t be able to keep up with demand.

Advocates worry that tens of thousands of vulnerable Missourians will lose Medicaid and food stamps because of new administrative barriers proposed by the GOP-led Congress. Missouri has already come under fire for failing to administer benefits on time.

This month, Kansas received a letter from the federal government that demanded “unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding," including Social Security numbers and personal addresses of SNAP recipients.

President Trump's tax-cut bill, which was narrowly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, could dramatically cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kansas City advocates say this would harm the nearly 850,000 residents between Missouri and Kansas that depend on food benefits.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins gave a first-ever approval for a state to restrict what’s covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a visit to Nebraska this week. Other states, including Kansas, Iowa and Indiana, are seeking similar waivers.

A federal judge said Missourians living in poverty "have gone hungry" due to bureaucratic hurdles that the state knows about but has failed to address.

The extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired in September. Pressure is mounting for Congress to pass new legislation, as tough weather and low crop prices challenge farm budgets.

Research shows that college students are going hungry at a higher rate than the U.S. population as a whole. Some campuses are taking alternative approaches to tackling student hunger.

According to a recent report, 19% of responding Missouri military-connected families said they were facing low or very low food security. Some Kansas City organizations are working so members of the military community don’t have to choose between the expenses of day-to-day life and going hungry.

Eligible low-income children will receive $120 in grocery benefits as part of a federal program that is administered by states. More than 400,000 kids are eligible.

Getting a new farm bill across the finish line in 2024 is likely doomed against a ticking clock, hot-button issues and election year politics.