Coronavirus Pandemic Saves Poor Americans From Food Stamp Cuts
- Ruling gives local governments, food banks some breathing room
- ‘Our cities cannot make up this difference -- it’s too big’
Empty shelves at a supermarket in Burbank, California as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 14.
Photographer: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
The coronavirus pandemic has given local governments and food banks a reprieve from a Trump administration rule that would have wiped out food stamps for 700,000 poor Americans.
Before a judge issued an injunction on March 13, the administration didn’t heed calls for a delay in the change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It was to go into effect April 1, the first of three revisions that could ultimately remove almost 4 million people from food-assistance rolls.