Food Stamps

The Alabama Department of Human Resources has begun mailing out new chip-enabled EBT cards to SNAP benefit recipients.The upgraded cards offer enhanced security to block unauthorized out-of-state and online purchases.However, Alabama cardholders who wish to make such purchases can still do so by downloading the ConnectEBT Mobile App, visiting the ConnectEBT website or calling the EBT Customer Service phone number.

A bill that would place new restrictions on what items Alabama SNAP benefit recipients are allowed to purchase, has passed a Senate committee. Senate Bill 61, was approved by the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee. It calls for removing food and drinks with high sugar and sodium content.

Work requirements are kicking in for more older adults and parents of teenagers across the U.S. who get help with groceries through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The implementation dates vary by state. For Alabama lawmakers, the issue may be more of a political one.

State lawmakers are confronting the possibility of new major costs tied to SNAP benefits.This comes as new federal requirements under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are shifting administrative costs to states.The move forces Alabama to cover roughly 39-million-dollars.Beginning next year, the state could also face up to 200-million-dollars in addition expenses tied to payment error rates.

It wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded after twin rulings by federal judges. That process often takes one to two weeks. The website USAfacts says 750,000 Alabamians use SNAP dollars to afford enough to eat.

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump's administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown. The website USA Facts says 750,000 Alabamians use SNAP benefits to buy groceries.

Alabama residents who depend on SNAP benefits for groceries are facing what could be a tough November. State officials say there will be no food stamp dollars next month, and it’s not just hungry families who may be hit. Eighteen rural Alabama counties are reportedly at risk of losing grocery stores if SNAP benefits are cut. The Center for American Progress used data from the USDA for its findings with Dallas and Wilcox counties at the top of the list.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed that recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or Food Stamps will not receive aid during the month of November. Federal funding for the benefits was anticipated to end on Saturday due to the ongoing federal budget shutdown. The website USA Facts says over 750,000 Alabamians use SNAP to ensure they have enough to eat.

Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged this week to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown. Alabama’s plans, if any, remain under wraps with the November first deadline looming for an end to federal money. The state is not responding to questions from the press about what happens this coming Saturday.

Nearly four hundred thousand Alabama households will see their food stamp benefits cut down in March. The reduction comes as pandemic-era programs end. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 requires emergency allotments to stop nationwide.