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May 2, 2025

SNAP is About Nutrition: My Response to Zycher

In a recent blog post, my AEI colleague Benjamin Zycher took issue with a letter to the editor I published in the Wall Street Journal, in which I agreed with…

April 28, 2025

Letter to the Editor: Sugary Treats Shouldn’t Be on the SNAP Menu

Allysia Finley is right to question the logic of allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, beneficiaries to spend billions of government dollars earmarked for nutrition on sugary beverages and…

April 23, 2025

In Case of Emergency, Open Block Grant: Part 2

Congress’s efforts to produce “one big, beautiful bill” that reflects President Donald Trump’s tax and spending priorities is about to kick into high gear as the House and Senate turn…

April 23, 2025

In Case of Emergency, Open Block Grant: Part 1

Congress’s efforts to produce “one big, beautiful bill” that reflects President Donald Trump’s tax and spending priorities is about to kick into high gear as the House and Senate turn…

April 8, 2025

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Supporting Employment

Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Craig, and members of the Agriculture Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important issue. My name is Angela Rachidi and I am…

March 26, 2025

How Large Would SNAP Be? Simulating the Size of SNAP Based on Changes to the Unemployment Rate

Abstract The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a means-tested transfer program that is available to all households that meet the eligibility criteria. Therefore, SNAP is also a countercyclical program,…

February 24, 2025

What Do You Call an Automatic Stabilizer that Doesn’t Shrink When Conditions Improve? The Biden Food Stamps Blowout

Last month the Wall Street Journal editorial board (“The Great Biden Welfare Blowout”) reviewed the staggering number of welfare recipients in key programs at the close of the Biden administration: …

February 3, 2025

Legislators Want to Give Tens of Millions of Free Lunches to Students Who Don’t Need Them

Wisconsin state legislators recently introduced a series of bills to help working families across the state. Among these proposals is one that calls for providing free breakfast and lunch for all schoolchildren….

January 30, 2025

Eliminating the Benefit Cliff and Achieving Savings for Taxpayers: A Reform Proposal for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Key Points The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the nation’s largest safety-net programs for low-income households in the US, distributing over $94 billion in food benefits in…

January 21, 2025

President Trump’s USDA Should Fix Food Stamp Work Requirement Waivers

As President Donald Trump begins his second term, he and his administration will be exploring ways to improve government efficiency and economic outcomes for low-income Americans. One such policy—a 2019…