Budget Matters Blog


Food Stamp Cuts in the Time of Thanksgiving

The food stamps program (SNAP) continues to grow, even as the employment picture improves. Time for more SNAP cuts?


Thanksgiving Stories: Cutting Food Stamps

At the beginning of November, more than 47 million low-income Americans saw their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits reduced.


New Localized Federal Spending Data Now Available

Over the past few weeks, the Federal Priorities Database has been updated with information on poverty, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, and more.


You Ask, We Answer: What's a Block Grant? (And Why Nuns Care)

Karen from Colorado asks us, “What’s a block grant?” She said she’s been hearing that phrase a lot without knowing what it means – or if it’s important. It’s a great question, Karen, because block grants are important. They’re part of the reason a group of nuns recently began the Nuns on the Bus cross-country tour.


Data Story: Volusia County, FL

This week's data story is inspired by an activist from Daytona Beach, Florida


Data Story: Food Stamps and Unemployment

This is the first our data stories, short pieces to spotlight the role of the Federal Priorities Database in understanding the relationship between social indicators and federal spending programs. This time, we're featuring food stamp participation and unemployment rates.


(Not) On the Block: Free and Reduced Cost School Meals

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha Dana Yesterday, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 into law with his wife, a strong anti-childhood obesity advocate, by his side. The law has two main goals: to increase the number of students who are able ...