SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

State lawmakers must soon decide whether to cover the extra costs to provide food assistance. If they don’t, food banks and pantries alone can’t make up the difference.

The massive legislation extends tax cuts and increases safety nets for farmers who grow commodities, like corn, wheat and rice. But deep cuts to federal food assistance spending could hurt specialty growers who benefit from programs like Double Up Food Bucks.

The program partners with schools and communities to teach people of all ages about proper nutrition, physical activity and how to effectively use money from food stamps. Missouri received more than $11 million for SNAP-Ed this year.

The state has been given a July 30 deadline to respond to the federal government's latest request.

President Donald Trump’s new budget package cuts funding for programs like Medicaid and SNAP through work requirements.

President Donald Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill" shifts more Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program costs to states. Lawmakers and officials in support of the new measure say it will cut down on waste and fraud, but food advocates warn it could mean fewer people receiving the benefit.

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.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requested personally identifiable information from SNAP recipients including names, dates of birth, addresses and Social Security numbers, along with total SNAP benefits received. Kansas, however, refused the request.

The Trump Administration is asking states to more closely watch the citizenship status of people receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But some advocates for immigrant families worry the messaging could hurt people who are eligible for the food assistance.

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.