This week at CBPP, we focused on #FoodAssistance, #health, the #economy, and the #FederalBudget and #FederalTaxes. www.cbpp.org/blog/in-case...

Check out @centeronbudget.bsky.social's new graphics -- examples of the cost increases that marketplace enrollees in all 50 states and D.C. will face if Congress doesn't extend premium tax credit enhancements. h/t @gidlukens.bsky.social www.cbpp.org/research/res...

New data from @CenterOnBudget shows USDA cutting families' SNAP benefits far more than necessary.⤵️

Why does a 50% cut to maximum SNAP benefits = a ~60% cut in average benefits? A household's SNAP benefit = Maximum benefit - 30% of net income Most SNAP households have some income & get less than the maximum. A 50% cut to the maximum is a much greater % cut to their benefits.

Remember the lesson to watch what people DO rather than what they SAY? The Trump Admin has promised to help people afford basic needs like food, health care & housing but they are DOING the exact opposite. No family needed to miss November SNAP benefits. USDA can fix this.

If SNAP math is hurting your brain today, this is shows why USDA's 50% cut to maximum SNAP benefits translates into a much deeper cut to average benefits. Only households receiving the maximum benefit will see a 50% cut under USDA's plan – and everyone else gets cut more deeply.

Shutdowns hurt people and it will be good news when the government reopens. But it is vital that Congress also address both the looming massive spike in health care costs for 20M *and* deliver a funding deal that the President can’t undo the parts he just doesn’t like. 🧵

Update: USDA revised their #SNAP contingency fund plan to provide households with a larger share of their November benefits. This is an important but inadequate step. Families need their full benefits to afford groceries & the Administration has the authority to provide them.

#OpenEnrollment for 2026 marketplace plans started Nov 1 in most states. B/c Congressional Rs haven’t extended PTC enhancements, ppl are seeing higher costs as they review their options. If you’re in need of marketplace coverage, here are some key dates to keep in mind during this uncertain time:

Low-income families will see even deeper #SNAP cuts because the Administration plans to release only two-thirds of the funds it says are available, shortchanging millions who rely on benefits to afford food. More from @katiebergh.bsky.social: www.cbpp.org/blog/adminis...

Over 800,000 children in veteran families with low incomes are still left out of the full #ChildTaxCredit, as the harmful Republican megabill’s changes failed to address the credit’s upside-down structure. www.cbpp.org/blog/megabil...

Amid tariff uncertainty and a slowing job market, families face rising costs while cuts to #Medicaid and #SNAP mean less help affording care and groceries in an economy already losing steam. www.cbpp.org/blog/a-weake...

New data: CBPP analyzed USDA’s contingency fund spending plan & found it is only going to release 2/3 of the funding they committed to in court filings, cutting families’ SNAP benefits far more than necessary, violating USDA’s own regulations & shortchanging millions of families.

Open enrollment for #ACA marketplace plans has begun, and without congressional action to extend premium tax credit enhancements, millions are facing steep premium increases for 2026.

"Still, the saga has laid bare the shutdown strategy at the White House, where Mr. Trump has been willing to shield only some Americans from the harms of a fiscal standoff that he has made no effort to resolve."

Doing the bare minimum because a court order forced their hand? That's not enough. The Administration could & should use their legal transfer authority so low-income families receive full SNAP benefits for November—and full benefits could get to those families more quickly.⤵️

Let's be clear: Any delays as states work to implement partial benefits will be because the Administration has deliberately chosen not to transfer the funds needed for full benefits—which the courts affirmed they have the authority to do.

Nobody should have to choose between paying rent or buying food in the wealthiest nation in the world, but that's a reality for many families. Delays and reductions #SNAP will make that worse. The Administration should go further and fully fund November #SNAP assistance.

How concerned are people about rising health insurance premiums? With premium tax credit enhancements about to expire and ACA marketplace open enrollment underway, search volumes for terms like “health premium increase” are (almost) off the charts.

We now have downloadable graphics like this one for all 50 states plus DC, showing how expiring premium tax credit enhancements are leading to dramatic out-of-pocket premium increases. Find your state here: tinyurl.com/5x89ds7x

It is illegal to not follow a court order and it is just wrong to delay food assistance to children, seniors, veterans, working parents, and people with disabilities.

Last Friday, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) finally provided states guidance on how to implement the harsh, anti-immigrant restrictions to food assistance in the harmful Republican megabill.

As the shutdown continues, RIFs targeting more than 1,400 Treasury employees include IRS staff who help ensure large businesses pay what they owe. These cuts threaten taxpayers, civil servants, and the agency’s ability to prepare for the next filing season. www.cbpp.org/research/fed...

It is a relief that the Administration is finally agreeing to do the bare minimum and follow the law by using the #SNAP contingency reserve to partially fund November SNAP benefits & nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico & American Samoa.

Under #Medicaid’s new work requirement, many eligible people could lose coverage. Our guide explains how states can reduce losses by minimizing burden, streamlining verification processes, and using accessible communication methods. www.cbpp.org/research/hea...

The Administration is making a clear choice if it doesn't follow the law and use SNAP contingency reserves to help over 40 million families afford groceries. #shameful

“The administration could have, and should have, taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds. To further delay will rip away vital food assistance from millions of low-income families right before the holidays.”

As @tyjonescox.bsky.social says in this @msnbc.com op-ed - “there is no need for more deliberation or clarification. The administration is sitting on billions in contingency funds and needs to release them.” Opinion | The truth about who suffers from the White House's manufactured SNAP crisis

This week at CBPP, we focused on #FoodAssistance and #health. www.cbpp.org/blog/in-case...

Today’s rulings confirm what’s been clear all along: the Administration has been sitting on billions of available dollars that it is legally required to use to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their groceries.

Wyoming, West Virginia, and Alaska are the states with the largest $$ increases in out-of-pocket premiums for people with moderate incomes who will lose premium tax credits entirely if the enhancements expire.

"They are families w/ children. They are seniors. They are ppl with disabilities. They are veterans." Watch @sharonparrott.bsky.social explains who is at risk of losing #SNAP benefits on Nov 1 if the Trump Admin doesn't act quickly to use SNAP's contingency reserves: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLSu...

Trump Administration has taken multiple affirmative steps to raise--not lower--families' costs including over the last month:

Check out this new paper from my colleagues @gidlukens.bsky.social and Elizabeth w/data on massive premium hikes for ACA marketplace coverage in 2026. Reminder: this is avoidable! Congress can extend the PTC enhancements and ensure millions of people can keep affordable health coverage next year.

Enhancements to premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. If Congress waits until the end of the year to extend the enhancements, 1.5 million more people will be uninsured in 2026 compared to an earlier extension. More from @gidlukens.bsky.social: www.cbpp.org/research/hea...

Window shopping for 2026 ACA marketplace plans is open for almost all states, and open enrollment is only days away. Millions of marketplace enrollees are seeing 2026 premiums spike due to expiring premium tax credits. See our paper with state-level estimates: tinyurl.com/zndd97k7

WATCH: @sharonparrott.bsky.social explains who will be impacted if the Trump Admin doesn’t use #SNAP’s contingency reserves for benefits & what steps the Admin should take to ensure that families have food assistance benefits to use at the beginning of November. youtu.be/wLSulAatJMg?...

2026 premiums are posted on HealthCare.gov. I checked out my hometown zip code in Lansing, MI. Someone w/an income less than $2,000/mo who paid $0 for a plan this year would pay $82/mo in 2026. That’s not affordable. Congress needs to act now to extend the PTC enhancements!

Watch @sharonparrott.bsky.social @centeronbudget.bsky.social explain what the Trump Administration should do to help families afford groceries & why there is no good excuse not to use SNAP contingency reserves.

The Administration has the $$ and must use all available options to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 people in the US who need SNAP to afford their groceries. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...

Huge premium spikes in Connecticut, which opened window shopping for 2026 ACA marketplace plans. Because of expiring tax credit enhancements, a typical 60-year-old couple making $85,000 is facing an additional $37,100 annually for benchmark coverage. (1/4)

The Trump Administration’s assertion that it can't use SNAP’s contingency reserves for SNAP benefits is contrary to: ▪️The plain language of the law ▪️Their own (now deleted) shutdown plan ▪️Guidance from prior Administrations We have the receipts:

It couldn't be clearer. The Trump Administration MUST use contingency reserves for SNAP benefits during the shutdown. It is the law & precedent. The Administration's choice treats people like political pawns rather than people who simply need help affording groceries.

Past administrations used #SNAP contingency funds to prevent benefit gaps. Despite clear legal authority, the current Administration refuses to do, putting 1 in 8 people in the U.S. who need SNAP to afford their grocery bill. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...

In Illinois, window shopping for 2026 ACA marketplace plans is now open. Because of expiring premium tax credit enhancements, a typical 60-year-old couple making $85,000 will have to pay an additional $23,700 annually for benchmark coverage. (1/4)

Next year's Social Security COLA will be 2.8%. More on how it works & why it matters below. Shout-out to the BLS staff called back during the shutdown to calculate inflation--with no paycheck. Their work allows 75M Social Security & SSI beneficiaries to have benefits that keep up w/rising prices.

USDA's position during this and prior shutdowns has been that the contingency reserve is available to pay for SNAP benefits during a funding lapse...until about 20 minutes ago, apparently.

Congress provided SNAP's multi-year contingency reserves for use "in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations." Those funds are now needed to carry out program operations. This isn't rocket science.

The Trump Administration is refusing to use SNAP’s contingency reserves — which Congress provided for this exact purpose — to help low-income families afford groceries next month. Nearly 90% of SNAP participants are in households with kids, seniors, or people with disabilities.

New Jersey’s window shopping for 2026 ACA marketplace plans is open, with large premium spikes because of expiring premium tax credit enhancements. A typical 60-year-old couple making $85,000 will have to pay an additional $20,600 annually for benchmark coverage. (1/4)