Food Security of SNAP Recipients Improved Following the 2009 Stimulus Package

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit levels and expanded SNAP eligibility for jobless adults without children. After these enhancements, SNAP participation and inflation-adjusted food spending by low-income households increased. Food insecurity declined by 2.2 percentage points among low-income households but was unchanged among households with incomes somewhat above SNAP-eligibility cutoffs.