Informing the Next Chapter of SNAP Policy: Lessons from SNAP Participants' Experiences in the Aftermath of the Emergency Allotment Expiration.

The upcoming legislative package that was signed into law on July 4, 2025, makes significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest antihunger federal program. To better understand the implications of reducing federal support for SNAP, we draw on SNAP participants' experience with the termination of temporary policy measures during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a period of disruption and uncertainty. Congress passed the First Coronavirus Response Act in March 2020, which provided emergency relief. This included the emergency allotments (EAs), a temporary increase in monthly SNAP benefits. Studies have shown that EAs were successful in decreasing food insecurity. In February 2023, the EAs were terminated; rising food insecurity rates followed. In this Perspective, we highlight SNAP participants' experiences in the aftermath of the EA expiration to understand the potential impacts of the recent changes to SNAP and to inform sustainable policy recommendations.