FRAC Chat

This year, I have used the words unprecedented, harmful, chaos, and confusion too many times to count.

The nation is still emerging from the unprecedented disruption of the November government shutdown, during which the Trump administration refused to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite having both statutory authority and sufficient contingency and reserve funds to do so. As a result, millions of Americans, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities, went weeks without the nutrition assistance they rely on to meet basic needs. Multiple courts ruled that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was required to issue these benefits, yet the administration continued litigating while families experienced hunger, financial distress, and prolonged uncertainty. Public polling found that a large percentage of Americans blame the administration for this failure.

With the nation’s recognition and celebration of Native American heritage just last month, we have all sorts of reasons to think deeply about food, our history, and our shared stories and future.

Millions of people in the U.S., including over 18 million children, are living in a state of fear and chaos perpetuated by the Trump administration, which has enacted a number of policies and practices explicitly designed to scare immigrants from accessing the limited benefits available to them. This includes restricting access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for humanitarian-based non-citizens in HR 1.

Summer 2025 marked the second year of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT). The program, also known as SUN Bucks, provides families with $120 in grocery benefits for each school-age child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.  Thirty-seven states, five Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), and all five U.S. territories participated this past summer.