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February 3, 2026
Thankfully, Hunger in the US Remains Rare
Hunger in the United States, as most people understand it, is thankfully rare. According to the most recent Household Food Security in the United States report, approximately 5 percent of…
January 13, 2026
Major Changes Coming to SNAP in 2026
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) is an important safety-net program that helps reduce hunger and decrease poverty among US households. At the same time, SNAP…
January 12, 2026
The “Upward Mobility Act” Seeks to Overcome Benefit Cliffs
Recent scandals in Minnesota have spotlighted billions of dollars lost to welfare fraud across multiple food, health, and childcare programs. Yet even when not being actively ripped off, those programs can still…
December 29, 2025
To restore hope for families in poverty, let states lead on welfare reform
The holiday season offers a renewed sense of hope for many American families. But for those stuck in poverty, that hope can be short-lived. One of the most perplexing aspects…
December 23, 2025
If you care about poverty, ditch the ACA expanded subsidies
My AEI colleague Mark Warshawsky recently wrote an excellent summary of policy reasons not to extend the COVID-era enhanced ACA subsidies. His explainer adds to a substantial body of work…
December 2, 2025
What To Do About Benefit Cliffs?
…will help those capable of working get the help they need, without preventing them from working their way up the income ladder. Angela Rachidi and Matt Weidinger are both Rowe…
December 2, 2025
Stranded by the Safety Net: How to Fix the Benefit Cliff Problem
Key Points The safety net for low-income families aims to offer temporary and targeted assistance so that, among other things, work-capable individuals and families can achieve their economic goals. Too…
November 20, 2025
When help holds families back
One of the central contradictions in American politics today is that, despite decades of measurable progress for low-income families – marked by declining poverty rates, rising household incomes, and greater…
October 29, 2025
Who Is at Risk of Losing Snap Benefits Due to the Shutdown?
Unless the Senate passes legislation that reopens the federal government within the next few days (or the courts intervene), 22 million households containing 42 million individuals (approximately 12 percent of the US population) will…
September 23, 2025
Why the USDA Is Justified in Ending the Food Security Survey
The USDA announced plans to discontinue future Household Food Security reports, ending the annual supplemental survey that, among other things, was used as the government’s official statistic on “food insecurity”….