Based on legislation passed in the 111 th Congress, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program) benefits, which were temporarily increased beginning in April 2009, are scheduled to be reduced after October 31, 2013. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, P.L. 111-5 ) provided the legislated response to the recession, which included an across-the-board increase in SNAP benefits. Maximum monthly benefits were increased substantially, increasing the June 2008 TFP calculation by 13.6%. In FY2009, for a one-person household, the added benefit was $24 a month; for two persons, $44 a month; for three persons (the most typical household), $63 a month; for four persons, $80 a month; and for larger households, higher amounts. When enacted originally, the ARRA benefit increase was to continue until food-price inflation caught up with the ARRA add-on. Since regular food-price inflation (blue area) has been well below ARRA's 13.6% increase to FY2009 maximum benefits, the sunset of the ARRA benefit will result in a reduction in the maximum benefit after October 31, 2013, and therefore a reduction in all benefit amounts calculated based on the maximum benefit. The result of the sunset is a scheduled reduction in maximum SNAP benefits on November 1, 2013, of about 5.5%. Although the actual percentage reduction will vary for each household, it can be said, for most SNAP households, that if no household circumstances change, the benefit reduction is scheduled to be
$11 a month for a one-person household; $20 a month for a two-person household (the average sized household) ; $29 a month for a three-person household; and $36 a month for a four-person household. The President's FY2014 Budget Proposal and Pending Legislation

The President's FY2014 budget proposed to delay the sunset of the ARRA benefit increase to March 31, 2014. This is the date that the ARRA increase was first scheduled to sunset, before the enactment of the child nutrition reauthorization legislation ( P.L. According to Administration cost estimates, extending the ARRA benefit increase for an additional five months of FY2014 would cost approximately $2.26 billion. Neither the House nor the Senate conference farm bill proposals contain any changes to the ARRA increase and its sunset. 2642, H.R. 3102) Bills with Current Law . ) 111-296 . Funding for Medicaid and Education Jobs

The 2010 law that provided funding for Medicaid and education jobs ( P.L. Child Nutrition and WIC Legislation

On December 13, 2010, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 ( P.L. 111-296 ) was enacted.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) included an across-the-board increase in benefits provided under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp program), effective in April 2009. ARRA substantially raised maximum monthly benefits, by 13.6% in FY2009. For a one-person household, the added benefit was $24 a month; for two persons, $44 a month; for three persons (the most typical household), $63 a month; for four persons, $80 a month; and for larger households, higher amounts. As a result, average household SNAP benefits (typically less than the maximum) were boosted by more than 15%. (Note: A household's SNAP benefit is calculated by subtracting the household-specific countable (or "net") income from the maximum benefit; percentage increases varied on a case-by-case basis.)
Originally, the ARRA increase was to be effective until regular SNAP cost-of-living adjustments "caught up" with the 13.6% increase (as compared to FY2009) to the maximum benefit, but Congress amended the law so that the increase is now scheduled to sunset after October 31, 2013. (Under "regular" SNAP law, maximum SNAP benefits are adjusted annually for changes in food prices on October 1.) To help meet congressional pay-as-you-go rules, the 111th Congress made two changes to this effective date, which resulted in savings to offset other new spending. First, P.L. 111-226 (a law providing funding for Medicaid and education jobs) added a March 31, 2014, sunset date to the ARRA benefit increase. Second, in the child nutrition reauthorization legislation (the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; P.L. 111-296), the sunset date was moved to October 31, 2013.
The sunset date in current law means that maximum SNAP benefits will decrease by about 5.5% on November 1, 2013. For a one-person household, the benefits will decrease by $11 a month; for two persons, $20 a month; for three persons, $29 a month; for four persons, $36 a month; and for larger households, higher amounts.
President Obama's FY2014 budget proposed to delay the sunset of the ARRA benefit increase to March 31, 2014. This is the date the benefit increase was to sunset before the enactment of the child nutrition legislation (P.L. 111-296). The Administration estimates that this extension of the increase for five months would cost approximately $2.26 billion. Neither the House (H.R. 2642) nor the Senate (S. 954) 2013 farm bill proposals would delay the sunset date.