Don't Feed the Rumors – Know the Truth about SNAP

One of Tennessee Justice Center’s primary focuses is helping people apply for or maintain their SNAP, or food stamp, benefits. SNAP helps people with low income buy groceries each month by loading a balance based on household resources to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. With the EBT card, people are limited to purchasing only grocery items like produce, bread, and meat. An EBT card will not allow its users to buy other items like diapers, hygiene products, or alcohol. On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) issued substantial cuts to the SNAP program. Now, one year later, more than 4.5 million people are no longer participating in the program, with a 15% decrease in enrollment in Tennessee alone. Furthermore, federal legislative changes have increased the state’s portion of funding the program, so Tennessee will soon be on the hook for more than $200 million dollars of SNAP funding.

For people facing tough times, SNAP can be the bridge between hardship and recovery. It helps stabilize families, cover gaps between jobs, and gives people a fair shot at getting back on their feet. Despite its many merits, there are a lot of myths in the media that might make someone lose faith in the program, so, let’s clear them up.

Myth #1: People Should Work to Buy Their Own Food

In 2023, 91% of SNAP households with a non-disabled, working-age adult had earned income. In other words, people who receive SNAP and can work are working. On top of that, if you're a non-disabled adult between 18 and 65 who can work, you're only eligible to receive three months of SNAP benefits in three years. Simply put, someone who chooses not to work cannot rely on SNAP. 

So, who relies on SNAP? First and foremost, children. Children are the most dependent on SNAP out of all measured groups, which is another reason "people should work to buy their own food" falls short. For years, SNAP has been more effective at reducing child poverty than at reducing poverty in the overall population. According to SNAP Impact Overview & Antipoverty Analysis 2010–2024, child poverty would have been noticeably higher each year without SNAP.

While children are the most dependent on the program, it's crucial to understand that if that child is in a home where someone could be working, as mentioned before, 9 times out of 10, they are. Many people who receive SNAP already work—often in jobs with low wages, unpredictable hours, or no benefits. Many are also taking classes to qualify for better-paying careers while juggling multiple jobs to support their families. Many are also between jobs, and “never thought [they'd] need SNAP benefits.” This is why SNAP was created: to be part of the safety net, not a way for people to leech off the government, which its work requirements make impossible. Therefore, working isn’t the solution for two reasons: (1) children can’t work and (2) people who can work are working, but they still earn so little that they can't afford to feed their families. 

Myth #2: I Don’t Use It, why should I care?

SNAP supports the U.S. economy by giving low-income people food stamps, enabling them to spend more on food, which consequently supports more farming and manufacturing jobs and boosts GDP. SNAP also benefits the country's safety. Formerly incarcerated people who have access to SNAP after release are less likely to commit crimes, and SNAP recipients are less likely to steal from grocery stores.

Myth #3: SNAP is Corrupt and Going to "Illegals”

You need a Social Security number to apply for SNAP. Only legal residents with SSNs or who have applied for SSNs are eligible to apply for SNAP benefits. Even if you have an undocumented immigrant in your household and you apply as a citizen, you still cannot get benefits for the undocumented immigrant. 

The United States Needs the SNAP Program

In 2024, 35.9 million people lived in poverty. That’s 10.6% of the U.S. population and 13.5% of Tennesseans. This means that 1 out of 10 people are struggling financially. SNAP does more than help people put food on their tables: It increases how much people use healthcare resources, improves how families spend their money, improves child development and behavior, improves mental health, and decreases abuse and neglect. SNAP helps older people afford groceries and their monthly prescriptions; it keeps children healthier and makes them more likely to graduate from high school; SNAP also makes sure those that care for children and the elderly are healthy enough to do so.

If the states must fund SNAP, it's a responsible investment for young people, the economy, and for the general health of our workforce. SNAP is not a partisan issue; SNAP is a crucial layer in the American safety net, there not only to catch us when we fall but to support our environment while we succeed.