SNAP benefit spending varied with changes to maximum benefit amounts and emergency allotment from FY 2020–23

Participation in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, but not enough to account for sharp increases in spending in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Increases in maximum benefit amounts and the issuance of emergency allotments largely contributed to the rise in spending during those years.