Advocates for everything from nutrition programs to tribal food sovereignty to climate and sustainability initiatives will be keeping an eye on the bill next year.

“I have to get less food,” one shopper said. “So I plan very carefully with my food stamps.”

The nonprofits faced higher demand through the pandemic. Now, with food costs rising, their resources are stretched even further.

The Biden administration is giving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits their largest permanent increase.

The number of summer meals served last July increased by 160%. And this summer, those benefits will be extended.

Advocates say the food assistance increase should help reduce food insecurity for households that qualify.

The Trump administration’s plan would have ended food stamps for nearly 700,000 unemployed people.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot of Feeding America said about 40% of the people the organization is serving have never before relied on the charitable food system.

With the pandemic, there are now 43 million people signed up for food assistance through SNAP.

When the pandemic began, the federal government made it easier for states to approve people for SNAP, but that flexibility is ending this month, raising concerns that more people will go hungry.