Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a federal nutrition assistance program that helps eligible low-income children, individuals, and families afford food. Recipients are expected to spend 30% of their monthly net income on food, and SNAP benefits are calculated to cover roughly 70% of what the US Department of Agriculture estimates as the cheapest possible family food budget, per household income and size (the number of SNAP-eligible members in a household). In the District, in FY25, the average monthly benefit for each member of a SNAP household was $192.1
In 2022, the DC Council passed the Give SNAP a Raise Amendment Act of 2022 to authorize use of local District funds to increase residents’ monthly SNAP benefits by 10% of the household’s federal maximum benefit amount. The DC Council temporarily funded that legislation for FY24, but that ended in FY25. Elected leaders will need to find new long-term funding in order to increase SNAP benefits again.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
Federal eligibility for SNAP includes:
- U.S. citizenship or being in a few certain immigration categories, including U.S. nationals and green card holders. However, recent federal regulations under H.R. 1, adopted in July 2025, limited SNAP eligibility for many other lawfully present immigrants who had previously been eligible.
- A household gross income below 130% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) ($3,483/month for a family of four) and a net income of no more than 100% of FPL ($2,680 for a family of four) after eligible deductions. Eligible deductions for expenses include child care, medical and housing expenses, and certain other documented expenses. For families enrolled in the District’s Temporary Relief for Needy Families program (TANF), they can enroll in SNAP if their net income – salary plus TANF benefits, minus deductions – is no higher than 200% FPL (approx. $5,200).
- Working or participating in a work training program for at least 20 hours per week. Work requirement exemptions only apply to those who are pregnant or have a child under age 14, are age 65 or older, have a work-preventing a physical or mental health condition, are in a substance use program, or meet certain other exemption categories; the 2025 federal law, H.R. 1, significantly narrowed who could qualify for an exemption as of June 1, 2026.
To apply, SNAP applicants fill out a paper or online application, provide proof of household income, District residency, and other information and complete an interview with a caseworker. If eligibility is approved, a household receives SNAP benefits on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card. Cards can be used to purchase food at approved retail locations, which include many District retailers, as well as some options for online grocery delivery. Most households remain eligible for benefits for a 12-month period; households with an adult over age 60 or someone with a disability have a 36-month recertification period.
Nationally, 41% of SNAP applicants reported enrollment difficulties, with the highest rate, 49%, reported by Latine applicants.2 Unfortunately, lengthy and clunky applications, inconvenient interview times, and language barriers will all be made more complicated for applicants newly navigating compliance with more stringent work requirements. Also, if a family’s application doesn’t include all allowable deductions, their net income will seem higher than it actually is, resulting in fewer SNAP benefits—which many families find to be already too low. It is critical for caseworkers to help households correctly understand how to meet work requirements or exemptions and how to completely calculate each family’s deductions—if not, application challenges will continue to prevent many eligible District families from receiving the benefits to which they are entitled.
The Impact of SNAP
In DC, SNAP is one tool among many to help counter the effects of historic and ongoing racial and economic inequity. Even with its modest financial benefit, at about $2.06 per person per meal,3 SNAP reduces food insecurity, improves school performance, chances of graduating from high school, children’s immediate health, and long-term health outcomes. Women who accessed SNAP as young children reported improved economic self-sufficiency. In the District, individuals and families participating in—and benefiting from—SNAP are overwhelmingly Black.4 SNAP also helps the economy: for every $1 spent on SNAP benefits, $1.50 is generated to the Gross Domestic Product.
SNAP is a complement to other nutrition safety net programs for children, particularly the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). For some, participation in SNAP automatically enrolls the family in WIC and NSLP, streamlining the process so children receive all possible nutrition support during this vital time of growth and development.
Funding and Participation
For most of the program’s history, SNAP benefits have been 100% funded by the federal government, and states share half the administration costs. In Fiscal Year 2025, District residents received $325M in federal food assistance benefits5 and in 2023 (the most recent data available) the District spent $30M in program administration.6 The DC Department of Human Services Economic Security Administration administers SNAP in DC. However, when Republicans in Congress passed H.R. 1 in 2025, it shifted more costs to states; beginning October 2026 states will have to pay 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs and starting October 2027 states will contribute toward benefits as well, creating a roughly $9 billion costs to states.
Local data for FY25 show an average of 44,375 children and youth (under 18) enrolled in SNAP during the year, equivalent to 36% of all District children, while for District residents of any age nearly one in five were enrolled in SNAP. Because of DC’s history of systemic racism, District SNAP participants are disproportionately Black. According to the most recent Census estimates, the median income for the District’s white households with children ($306,100) is more than four times that of Black households ($56,900) and nearly three times that of Latine households ($117,800). Of all District households enrolled in SNAP, 86% are Black and 2% are Latine.7 Since Latine households may encounter unique challenges in the application process, this percentage likely underrepresents the amount of Latine households that could benefit from SNAP.
Recommendations
- Continue working to reduce the District’s SNAP error rate—benefit processing errors related to over and underpayments—to minimize H.R.1’s spending burden placed on states.
- Secure permanent, recurring funding for Give SNAP a Raise to increase monthly benefits by 10%. The District estimates that full funding will require at least $53.98 million per year.
- Decrease DHS administrative hurdles to applying for SNAP. While SNAP is a federal program, states have administrative flexibility. The District can remove burdens by keeping the application as short as possible and implementing more mobile technology and online case management. DHS should also ensure application language does not deter mixed-eligibility families from applying, e.g. parents who are in the green card process but who have children who are U.S. citizens.
- Train DHS case managers to maximize applicants’ monthly benefits by correctly calculating all income eligibility deductions. For example, a USDA report with national SNAP data from 2024 showed only 2% of applicants claimed their child care deduction.8
- The federal government should resume full coverage of benefits rather than shifting the costs to states and should repeal the Trump administration’s broadening of the “public charge” rule. It should also return to automatically exempting vulnerable groups from work requirements such as former foster youth, those experiencing homelessness, and parents of minor children up to age 17. If the federal government fails to address this harmful policy, District leaders must be prepared to provide funding to hold residents’ benefits harmless.
