As millions of Americans anxiously awaited their November SNAP benefits during the 43-day federal shutdown, Pew Research released a comprehensive look at the food assistance program — and the new policies that threaten it. The shutdown added even more chaos: legal confusion and patchwork state-level fixes delayed payments for families already living paycheck to paycheck. While the new funding bill keeps SNAP afloat through late 2026, many of the deeper, damaging changes remain.

Food prices are a top concern for American families—especially women, working-class households, and communities of color—amid inflation, new tariffs, and deepening inequality.