Every meal matters but they come at a price. Especially now, food affordability is consistently on the mind of families trying to make ends meet. While food banks can help when there is a gap, it is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides greater access to nutritious food and a positive impact on the economy when food is purchased at a grocery store.
Historically, SNAP benefits have been fully funded by the federal government, while costs to administer the program were shared between the federal government and the state. Under recent federal changes, states with a SNAP payment error rate (based on administrative oversites resulting in under or over payments) above 6% must pay a portion of SNAP benefits.
Previously, Texas had an error rate below 6%, but a sharp increase in Medicaid applications and renewals during the pandemic created challenges that temporarily increased the rate.
Texas is actively improving training, staffing, and processes to lower the error rate again. A two-year delay from Congress would give the state time to complete these improvements and avoid costly federal penalties.
SNAP is critically important to Houston Food Bank’s Mission of Food for Better Lives. Please join our Action Center and participate in the campaign to protect Texas’ investment in SNAP.