SNAP

For the almost two million Alabamians grocery store shelves loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are often out of reach. That’s because they live in what are called food deserts. Those are rural and urban settings where poverty is higher, education is lower, and supermarkets are often non-existent. That leaves so called “dollar stores” as the only grocery option for a growing number of Alabamians facing food insecurity. Last week, we reported on what changes to food stamps might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. Today she teams up with a local chef to better understand the challenges of Alabamians living in food deserts.

Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session. Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The outcome capped an unusually tense weekend of work at the Capitol, the president's signature legislative priority teetering on the edge of approval, or collapse.

Work continues in the U.S. Senate on what Donald Trump calls his big beautiful budget bill. Critics are concerned about possible cuts to Medicaid and the SNAP nutrition program. Alabama Medicaid says about a quarter of state residents gets health coverage this way. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says three quarters of a million Alabamians use SNAP

Hundreds of thousands of Alabamians could be impacted by a budget plan under consideration in the U.S. House. The Republican majority is looking at three hundred billion dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says about three quarters of a million Alabamians used the federal food program in 2024.

GOP majority in the U.S. House is considering a budget that could negatively impact over one million Alabamians. Republican lawmakers may make cuts to Medicaid. The Kaiser Family Foundation says over a million Alabamians use this health insurance plan for the poor. The GOP-controlled Congress is eyeing work requirements for Medicaid and considering paying a shrunken, fixed rate to states.

Alabama legislation to expand Medicaid coverage and regulate firearms outlaw are just two state bills being watched by children’s advocates. Lawmakers may try to prevent the use of devices to turn weapons into machine guns. Another measure may try to make Medicaid more available to pregnant women to reduce infant mortality.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources is continuing to receive an increased number of fraud reports throughout the state. The agency stresses it's working to process requests for replacement of SNAP benefits stolen from households impacted by EBT card skimming, cloning and similar fraud.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources is issuing a warning as reports of thieves targeting recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with fraudulent phone calls have recently increased.

Another round of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments are be issued to recipients in Alabama during the month of April, but not everyone will be paid on the same date.

Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year, including Alabama.