Origin of food stamps The federal government's attempt to address hunger through the means of food stamps was first introduced in the 1930s after becoming possible when the
U.S. Congress passed the
income tax law in 1913. After the Federal government had the funding to create a social safety net, its involvement in food assistance was introduced in the 1930s, when the
Great Depression caused unemployment, homelessness, and starvation to become a national issue that permeated such a high percentage of the population. At the time of the Great Depression, farmers were growing surplus produce, but unemployed and impoverished people were unable to afford to buy it. The origin of food stamps was intended partially to help the poor, but just as equally to boost the economy and pay farmers a fair price for their labor. In essence, food stamps were intended to create a political agreement between agriculture and the federal government by giving out excess goods in a crisis.
First food stamp program (FSP; May 16, 1939 – spring 1943) The idea for the first food stamp program has been credited to various people, most notably
Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace and the program's first administrator,
Milo Perkins. Of the program, Perkins said, "We got a picture of a gorge, with farm surpluses on one cliff and under-nourished city folks with outstretched hands on the other. We set out to find a practical way to build a bridge across that chasm." The program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), permitted people on
relief to buy orange stamps equal to their normal food expenditures. Orange food stamps could be used at any food retailers or wholesalers, but excluded alcoholic beverages, concession stand meals that could be eaten on premises, and tobacco products. The blue stamps could only be used to buy what the USDA defined as surplus produce, which included items such as beans, eggs, fruit, and the like.
Pilot food stamp program (1961–1964) The 18 years between the end of the first FSP and the inception of the next were filled with studies, reports, and legislative proposals. Prominent US senators actively associated with attempts to enact a food stamp program during this period included
George Aiken,
Robert M. La Follette Jr.,
Hubert Humphrey,
Estes Kefauver, and
Stuart Symington. From 1954 on, US
Representative Leonor Sullivan strove to pass food-stamp program legislation. Hunger continued for the poor people of the country even after the Great Depression ended, but advocacy to reinstate the food stamp program was generally unsuccessful while the political agenda did not require it. Until 1961 when President John F. Kennedy took office, there were few pilot programs in place to help America's poor. This leverage looked like taking food stamp costs out of a sharecropper's income, permitting food stamps for only select grocers, permitting stamps for only the most expensive products, and similar maneuvers. These mechanisms consolidated White power over sharecroppers, and the move to food stamps was criticized by many Black activists. Of the program, US Representative
Leonor K. Sullivan of
Missouri asserted, "...the Department of Agriculture seemed bent on outlining a possible food stamp plan of such scope and magnitude, involving some 25 million persons, as to make the whole idea seem ridiculous and tear food stamp plans to smithereens."
Food Stamp Act of 1964 President Johnson called for a permanent food-stamp program on January 31, 1964, as part of his
War on Poverty platform introduced at the State of the Union a few weeks earlier. Agriculture Secretary
Orville Freeman submitted the legislation on April 17, 1964. The bill eventually passed by
Congress was H.R. 10222, introduced by Congresswoman Sullivan. One of the members on the
House Committee on Agriculture who voted against the FSP in Committee was then Representative
Bob Dole, of Kansas. Later, as a senator, after he worked on the 1977 legislation that addressed problems with the program, Dole became a staunch supporter of it. The Food Stamp Act of 1964 was intended to strengthen the agricultural economy and provide improved levels of nutrition among low-income households; however, the practical purpose was to bring the pilot FSP under congressional control and to enact the regulations into law.
Program expansion: participation milestones in the 1960s and early 1970s In April 1965, participation topped half a million. (Actual participation was 561,261 people.) Participation topped 1 million in March 1966, 2 million in October 1967, 3 million in February 1969, 4 million in February 1970, 5 million one month later in March 1970, 6 million two months later in May 1970, 10 million in February 1971, and 15 million in October 1974. Rapid increases in participation during this period were primarily due to geographic expansion.
Major legislative changes (early 1970s) The early 1970s were a period of growth in participation, concern about the cost of providing food stamp benefits, and questions about administration, primarily timely certification. During this time, the issue was framed that would dominate food stamp legislation ever after: how to balance program access with program accountability. Three major pieces of legislation shaped this period, leading up to massive reform to follow: P.L. 91-671 (January 11, 1971) established uniform national standards of eligibility and work requirements; required that allotments be equivalent to the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet; limited households' purchase requirements to 30 percent of their income; instituted an outreach requirement; authorized the Agriculture Department to pay 62.5 percent of specific administrative costs incurred by States; expanded the FSP to
Guam,
Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands of the United States; and provided $1.75 billion appropriations for Fiscal Year 1971. Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93–86, August 10, 1973) required States to expand the program to every political jurisdiction before July 1, 1974; expanded the program to drug addicts and alcoholics in treatment and rehabilitation centers; established semi-annual allotment adjustments, bi-monthly issuance, and
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) "cash-out" (which gave the option to states to issue Food Stamp benefits to SSI recipients in the form of their estimated cash value consolidated within the SSI grant, in order to reduce administrative costs); introduced statutory complexity in the income definition (by including in-kind payments and providing an accompanying exception); and required the department to establish temporary eligibility standards for disasters. P.L. 93-347 (July 12, 1974) authorized the department to pay 50 percent of all states' costs for administering the program and established the requirement for efficient and effective administration by the States.
1974 nationwide program In accordance with P.L. 93–86, the FSP began operating nationwide on July 1, 1974. (The program was not fully implemented in Puerto Rico until November 1, 1974.) Participation for July 1974 was almost 14 million.
Eligible access to Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries Once a person is a beneficiary of the
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program they may be automatically eligible for Food Stamps depending on their state's laws. How much money in food stamps they receive also varies by state. Supplemental Security Income was created in 1974.
Food Stamp Act of 1977 Both the outgoing Republican administration and the new Democratic administration offered Congress proposed legislation to reform the FSP in 1977. The Republican bill stressed targeting benefits to the neediest, simplifying administration, and tightening controls on the program; the Democratic bill focused on increasing access to those most in need and simplifying and streamlining a complicated and cumbersome process that delayed benefit delivery as well as reducing errors, and curbing abuse. The chief force for the Democratic administration was Robert Greenstein, Administrator of the
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). In Congress, major players were Senators
George McGovern,
Jacob Javits, Hubert Humphrey, and Bob Dole, and Congressmen Foley and Richmond. Amid all the themes, the one that became the rallying cry for FSP reform was "EPR"—eliminate the purchase requirement—because of the barrier to participation the purchase requirement represented. The House Report for the 1977 legislation points out that the changes in the Food Stamp Program are needed without reference to upcoming
welfare reform since "the path to welfare reform is, indeed, rocky...." EPR was implemented January 1, 1979. Participation that month increased 1.5 million over the preceding month. According to Maggie Dickinson in the book ''Feeding the Crisis of Care and Abandonment in America's Food Safety Net'' "The Food Stamp Act of 1977 finally eliminated the food stamp purchase requirement, which mean poor families no longer needed to have cash up front to purchase food stamps."
Cutbacks of the early 1980s The large and expensive FSP proved to be a favorite subject of close scrutiny from both the Executive Branch and Congress in the early 1980s. Major legislation in 1981 and 1982 enacted cutbacks including: • addition of a gross income eligibility test in addition to the net income test for most households; • temporary freeze on adjustments of the shelter deduction cap and the standard deduction and constraints on future adjustments; • annual adjustments in food stamp allotments rather than semi-annual; • consideration of non-elderly parents who live with their children and non-elderly siblings who live together as one household; • required periodic reporting and retrospective budgeting; • prohibition against using Federal funds for outreach; • replacing the FSP in Puerto Rico with a block grant for nutrition assistance; • counting retirement accounts as resources; • state option to require job search of applicants as well as participants; and • increased disqualification periods for voluntary quitters. The first electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card pilot program began in
Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1984.
Mid-to-late 1980s Recognition of the severe domestic hunger problem in the latter half of the 1980s led to incremental expansions of the FSP in 1985 and 1987, such as elimination of
sales tax on food stamp purchases, reinstitution of categorical eligibility, increased resource limit for most households ($2,000), eligibility for the homeless, and expanded
nutrition education. The Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 and the Mickey Leland Memorial Domestic Hunger Relief Act in 1990 foretold the improvements that would be coming. The 1988 and 1990 legislation accomplished the following: • increasing benefits by applying a multiplication factor to Thrifty Food Plan costs; • making outreach an optional activity for States; • excluding advance earned income tax credits as income; • simplifying procedures for calculating medical deductions; • instituting periodic adjustments of the minimum benefit; • authorizing nutrition education grants; • establishing severe penalties for violations by individuals or participating firms; and • establishing EBT as an issuance alternative. Throughout this era, significant players were principally various committee chairmen: Congressmen Leland, Hall, Foley,
Leon Panetta, and, de la Garza and Senator
Patrick Leahy.
1993 Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act By 1993, major changes in food stamp benefits had arrived. The final legislation provided for $2.8 billion in benefit increases over Fiscal Years 1984–1988. Leon Panetta, in his new role as OMB Director, played a major role as did Senator Leahy. Substantive changes included: • eliminating the shelter deduction cap beginning January 1, 1997; • providing a deduction for legally binding child support payments made to nonhousehold members; • raising the cap on the dependent care deduction from $160 to $200 for children under 2 years old and $175 for all other dependents; • improving employment and training (E&T) dependent care reimbursements; • increasing the FMV test for vehicles to $4,550 on September 1, 1994, and $4,600 on October 1, 1995, then annually adjusting the value from $5,000 on October 1, 1996; • mandating asset accumulation demonstration projects; and • simplifying the household definition.
Later participation milestones In December 1979, participation surpassed 20 million. In March 1994, participation hit a new high of 28 million.
1996 welfare reform By 1994, FSP's program enrollment seemed to see growth once more, with an enrollment of 27 million people. By 1996, President Clinton's Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act restricted eligibility even further, reinforced even stronger working requirements, restricted given benefits, and increased penalties for non-compliance. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) and the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Act of 1998 (AREERA) made some changes to these provisions, most significantly: • using additional Employment and Training (E&T) funds to providing work program opportunities for able-bodied adults without dependents; • allowing states to exempt up to 15 percent of able-bodied adults without dependents who would otherwise be ineligible; • restoring eligibility for certain elderly, disabled, and minor immigrants who resided in the United States when the 1996 welfare reform act was enacted; and • cutting administrative funding for states to account for certain administrative costs that previously had been allocated to the AFDC program and now were required to be allocated to the Food Stamp Program. The fiscal year 2001 agriculture appropriations bill included two significant changes. The legislation increased the excess shelter cap to $340 in fiscal year 2001 and then indexed the cap to changes in the
Consumer Price Index for All Consumers each year beginning in fiscal year 2002. The legislation also allowed states to use the vehicle limit they use in a TANF assistance program, if it would be result in a lower attribution of resources for the household.
Electronic benefit transfer In the late 1990s, the Food Stamp Program was revamped, with some states phasing out actual stamps in favor of a specialized debit card system known as
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), provided by private contractors. Many states merged the use of the EBT card for public
welfare programs as well, such as cash assistance. The move was designed to save the government money by not printing the coupons, make benefits available immediately instead of requiring the recipient to wait for mailing or picking up the booklets in person, and reduce theft and diversion. This was done to mark a more explicit focus on providing nutrition. It was also done to reduce usage of the stigmatized phrase "food stamps".
Temporary benefits increase from April 2009 to November 2013 SNAP benefits temporarily increased with the passage of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), a federal
stimulus package to help Americans affected by the
Great Recession of 2007. Beginning in April 2009 and continuing through the expansion's expiration on November 1, 2013, the ARRA appropriated $45.2 billion to increase monthly benefit levels to an average of $133. This amounted to a 13.6 percent funding increase for SNAP recipients. The idea was to include both
Pell Grant-eligible students and independent students. Warren and Lawson both believe that students have a right to both food and education, and the goal was to alleviate financial tension. This bill has been endorsed by several organizations including
Bread for the World. Specifically, the Act would allow Pell-Grant eligible and independent students to qualify for benefits, lowers the 20 hours/week work requirement to 10 hours/week, and requires the Department of Education to notify Pell Grant eligible students of their SNAP eligibility. The student hunger pilot program will test different ways students can use SNAP benefits such as directly at the dining hall or indirectly to help pay for student meal plans.
2020 COVID-19 and pandemic-EBT introduction The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provided the Secretary of Agriculture with authority to approve state agency plans for temporary emergency eligibility standards and benefit levels under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. These plans allowed for increased access to food and nutrition assistance, including increased benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Secretary of Agriculture could also waive certain requirements, such as work requirements, in order to ensure those in need had access to assistance. March 2020 is estimated to be the start date. This provision applies to children who would otherwise be eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. It allows states to provide meals to children during the school closures due to COVID-19. It does not require states to provide meals to children who do not qualify for free or reduced price meals. School children eligible for emergency nutrition benefits receive temporary benefits loaded onto their EBT cards. As of mid-summer 2020, all states and territories eligible to provide these benefits (except Guam) have selected the option and issued these benefits to replace meals lost during the 2019–2020 school year. These benefits provide children with essential nutrition, allowing them to focus on their studies and grow academically. The benefits are also instrumental in helping to reduce food insecurity among children. The USDA went on to evaluate the four aspects including current food prices within the typical American diet,
dietary guidance, and the available nutrients in food items. The
Thrifty Food Plan, 2021, is based on the needs of a family of four as defined by law, and sets $835.57 as the monthly cost for the reference family. This is a 21.03% increase from the prior amount (adjusted for current prices), or an increase of $4.79 per day for the reference family of four. These changes are permanent, and went into effect October 1, 2021.''' For the average recipient, the change would mean about $90 less per month.
2025 legislative changes under OBBBA In 2025, after the re-election of
Donald Trump, Congress passed the
One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) which cut funding to an array of social programs such as SNAP and Medicaid; it was signed into law by the President on July 4, 2025. OBBBA made major changes to SNAP, including: • limiting future changes to the Thrifty Food Plan to the level of inflation; • expanding the three-month time limit/work requirement to more recipients, including older adults and parents of children 14 and older; • reducing the federal share of administrative costs to 25% (down from 50%); • limiting immigrant eligibility for SNAP, denying assistance to refugees and other humanitarian immigrants; • for the first time, requiring states to pay a portion of the cost of the benefits under SNAP. The level of the state share will depend on the error rate that the state achieves, and will range up to 15% of the benefit cost.
2025 shutdown SNAP is
authorized by the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. This law has since 1973 been periodically reauthorized by the
farm bill, and the program was last reauthorized by the
2018 farm bill. Many farm bill provisions expired in 2023 and then were extended through September 30, 2025. In a period of farm bill expiration, SNAP operations continue with the provision of appropriations. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia sued the federal government in federal court to prevent SNAP delays. Two federal judges ruled on October 31, 2025 that the Trump Administration had to pay food stamps during November, but the federal government appealed the ruling, arguing that federal law prohibited the release of funding for SNAP. The government shutdown then ended, the Administration agreed to pay SNAP benefits for November, and the lawsuit was ended. ==Eligibility==