Budgetary and Spending Implications of a Food Stamp Outreach Program

November 19, 1998 Download PDF

The Food Stamp Program provides a basic safety net for nearly a quarter million poor and near-poor Oregonians. The federal government authorized the current program in 1977 with the goal of alleviating hunger and malnutrition by subsidizing the food expenditures of low-income households. While the program is available to households with gross incomes of up to 130 percent of poverty, national program data indicate that 91 percent of program participants have incomes below the poverty level. The federal government pays for 100 percent of benefits, and the federal and state governments share equally the costs of administration.