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.

Food stamp recipients in Alabama have a new age range and work requirements to follow.

With gridlock persisting in Washington, a government shutdown is looking more and more likely ahead of Saturday night's deadline. If federal funding stops, some children in Alabama could be left hungry.

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.