Food Stamp Changes and Catholic Social Teaching

In this episode we look at recent news regarding the US Farm Bill, and more specifically the part of the Farm Bill that deals with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and see what light Catholic Social Teaching might shine on this issue.

References and notes below:

1. House passes 2026 farm bill - Apr 30, 2026
2. Farm Bill Primer: Overview and Status - May 7, 2026
3. Catholic groups stress efforts to combat hunger as Senate prepares to consider farm bill - May 7, 2026
4. Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 - 12/30/2025
5. Joint Catholic organizations letter on 2026 Farm Bill - Feb 20, 2026
6. Joint Catholic organizations letter to Congress on Agriculture Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2027 - April 28, 2026
7. Explainer: Understanding the SNAP program—and what “One Big Beautiful Bill” cuts to these benefits may mean - Nov 10, 2025
8. SNAP Numbers Fall Across US–Food Banks Are Sounding the Alarm - May 13, 2026
9. The Dismal Economics of SNAP’s Work-Hours Test and Time Limit - Apr 19, 2023 - Reviews 19 studies on SNAP work requirements
10. SNAP work requirements don’t boost jobs, but drop participation, research finds - April 10, 2026
11. Employed in a SNAP? The Impact of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Labor Supply - February 2023
12. Untangling Errors in the SNAP Program (August 5, 2025), USDA Efforts to Reduce Waste, Fraud and Abuse in SNAP (May 5, 2025), and What We Get Wrong About SNAP Fraud and Why It Matters (April 20, 2026)
13. Pope Leo’s May 2026 prayer intention: 'That everyone might have food'
14. Podcast website with full transcripts for this episode and all other episodes

Transcript

Welcome to “Headline News and Catholic Social Teaching,” where we take a brief look at stories in the news, not from a left or right political perspective, but through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching.  I’m your host, Tom Mulhern, and I hope that this podcast will help us grow in our love of God and love of our neighbors.

In this episode we’re going to look at recent news regarding the US Farm Bill, and more specifically the part of the Farm Bill that deals with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, and see what light Catholic Social Teaching might shine on this issue.

So, on April 30, 2026, the US House of Representatives approved its version of a Farm Bill and sent it to the Senate.  This is a newsworthy step because Congress has not approved a new Farm Bill since the last one expired 3 years ago, and has instead been approving 1-year extensions of the old bill.  Of course, there is no guarantee that the Senate and the House will agree on a new Farm Bill, but at least this year something is happening.

Now, the Farm Bill is a big bill and it covers many food and agriculture related areas, including things like commodity price support for farmers, soil conservation measures, and a lot more.    

It also includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]  and other smaller programs to help low-income Americans obtain food for their families.  In fact, in most years these nutrition programs account for more than 70% of all Farm Bill expenditures.  And that’s because the SNAP program in particular helps poor people throughout the United States, and we have a lot of people who are food insecure in this country – more than 18 million households in 2024.

“Food insecurity” means “not having enough money to purchase food for the people in my household,” so it’s an indicator of poverty, and it can be sporadic or chronic.  “Food insecurity” is a more measurable term than “hunger,” which is a physiological condition that we all experience from time to time.  I get hungry when I miss a meal, but I’m not food insecure because I can afford to buy food for myself and my family.

All right, so the House passed a Farm Bill, including provisions for SNAP, and a number of faith-based groups have provided input on the Farm Bill, including major US Catholic groups.  Specifically, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities-USA, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Rural Life, and the National Council of the US Society of St. Vincent de Paul, all got together and in February 2026 issued a joint letter to the House Agriculture Committee about the Farm Bill.  

Then at the end of April, the same Catholic organizations sent a similar joint letter to all Senators and Representatives regarding Agriculture appropriations for the coming fiscal year.  You see the Farm Bill sets the overall parameters for several years, but there is still an annual appropriations process for all programs covered by the bill.  So, these Catholic groups sent similar joint letters regarding both the multi-year Farm Bill and the annual appropriations for the coming year.  There are links to both letters in the notes.

Both letters urge Congress to preserve and increase support for Farm Bill programs that help low income people who are food insecure, in particular, through the SNAP program.  And to understand where these Catholic organizations are coming from, you have to go back to last year and the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget act, which made major changes to SNAP.

To summarize in very broad terms, the budget act passed last year did three things to SNAP:

One, it reduced SNAP funding by about $186 billion dollars over 10 years.  That’s a 20% cut, the largest reduction in the history of the program.

Two, it expanded SNAP work requirements to more people.  SNAP has had work requirements for able-bodied adults for many years, but the expanded work rules now apply to adults ages 55 to 64, homeless persons, veterans, and adults with teenage dependents.

The third thing is that the budget bill shifted more SNAP costs to states.  Previously, states paid 50% of SNAP administrative costs and the federal government paid 50%, but now states will have to pay 75% of administrative costs.  And even more significantly, states will have to start paying a portion of SNAP benefit costs, which have always been paid 100% by the federal government. 

As a result of these changes, millions of people are losing SNAP benefits.  In January 2025, there were 42.8 million people in the US receiving SNAP benefits.   That number has dropped to 37.8 million people as of February 2026.

So what happened to those 5 million people who lost SNAP benefits over that 13-month period?  Did they go out and get jobs?  Well, we don’t know, but we do know from numerous research studies that SNAP work requirements don’t work, that is, they don’t lead to people obtaining or increasing employment.  What SNAP work requirements DO achieve is that they reduce the number of SNAP beneficiaries, by taking assistance away from people who, for a variety of reasons, are struggling financially.

Some of those 5 million people who lost SNAP benefits showed up at their local food pantries, asking for food.  That’s what happens when people lose SNAP benefits.  I know this because I worked at a Catholic Charities agency that operated two large food pantries.  And then I worked at a large regional food bank, supplying food to pantries, meal sites and other food programs throughout our region.

Now, the existence of this grassroots network of food banks and food pantries leads some well-meaning people to think that this largely private nonprofit and frequently faith-based network can take the place of the government-operated SNAP program.  I’d like to briefly explain why that is not feasible.

The regional food bank where I worked received and distributed 8 to 9 million pounds of food per year.  To do that, we operated two warehouses, we had a fleet of trucks that went out every day to pick up and deliver donated food, we worked with more than 150 organizations that distributed the food, and we received generous volunteer and financial support from the community.

However, in any given year, the amount of food we and our local partners distributed was around one-tenth the value of food that SNAP beneficiaries in our county received.  To replace SNAP in our county, our regional food bank would have had to collect and distribute 80 million pounds of food instead of 8 million pounds of food.  There was and there is nowhere near that amount of food available to food banks, and even if it were, we’d need a tenfold increase in warehouse space, trucks, distribution capacity, volunteers and funding.  

It’s just not feasible.  Food banks and pantries play a critical role in filling gaps and getting food that would otherwise be wasted to people in need, but they can’t replace a program like SNAP.

Another misconception that I’d like to address is the idea that many people seeking food assistance are just lazy freeloaders trying to take advantage of the system.  Let me just say that has not been my experience.  Having spent years of my life doing this kind of work, my observation is that the overwhelming majority of those seeking food assistance are there because they are truly struggling to make ends meet.

SNAP is a very large and complex program, and as such it is subject to both unintentional error and intentional fraud.  However, the USDA estimates that the rate of intentional benefit fraud is around 1%.

Let me tell you a story that is more representative of my personal experience.

One day, at one of our food pantries, a woman who was there to get some food said that it was her first time coming in.  She also admitted that she had actually come intending to get food the day before but she had been too ashamed to come in and ask for help, so she ended up driving around the block three times and then went home.  When she did come in the next day, she was grateful for the food and grateful that she was treated with dignity and respect.

 Every month, Pope Leo announces a special prayer intention.  For this month, May 2026, he said “This May, I invite you to join me in prayer that we may seriously commit to avoiding food waste and to ensuring that everyone has access to quality food every day.”

I’d like to end by reciting the original prayer that Pope Leo recited when making this announcement, as it captures the key themes of Catholic Social Teaching on this topic in a beautiful way:

Lord of creation,

You gave us the fertile earth and, with it, our daily bread,

as a sign of your love and providence.

Today we recognize with sorrow

that millions of brothers and sisters continue to suffer from hunger,

while so many goods are wasted at our tables.

Awaken in us a new awareness:

that we learn to thank for every food,

to consume simply,

to share with joy,

and to care for the fruits of the earth as a gift from you,

destined for all, not just a few.

Good Father,

make us capable of transforming the logic of selfish consumption

into a culture of solidarity.

May our communities promote concrete gestures:

awareness campaigns, food banks,

and a sober and responsible lifestyle.

You who sent us your beloved Son Jesus,

broken bread for the life of the world,

give us a new heart, hungry for justice and thirsty for fraternity.

May no one be excluded from the common table,

and may your Spirit teach us to see bread

not as an object of consumption,

but as a sign of communion and care.

Amen.

Well, that’s it for this episode of “Headline News and Catholic Social Teaching.”  If you found it worthwhile, I invite you to share it with others.  If you’d like to make a comment or send me a message or a question, there’s a link in the notes that will enable you to do just that.

And I hope and pray that, in some small way, this episode might help you and me live our lives guided by the Holy Spirit through the teachings of the Church.  

Thank you for listening.