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What sources (USDA, CBO, OMB) published the $36 per American SNAP figure and do they show the breakdown?
Executive Summary
The claim that the USDA, CBO, or OMB “published the $36 per American SNAP figure” cannot be verified in the documents summarized here: none of the supplied USDA, CBO, or OMB-related snippets contain a line stating “$36 per American,” nor do they present a labeled per‑American breakdown of SNAP costs. The government data provided instead report total SNAP spending and average benefits per participant—for FY2024 roughly $99.8–$100.3 billion in outlays and average monthly participant benefits near $187–$188—figures that can be converted to per‑capita amounts only through additional, explicit calculation that the cited sources do not show [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Where the $36 claim appears to originate — unpacking the gap between headlines and documents
The materials reviewed here show no explicit statement from USDA, CBO, or OMB declaring a "$36 per American" SNAP cost. USDA and ERS reports give aggregate annual SNAP spending (reported as about $99.8–$100.3 billion for FY2024) and average monthly benefits per participant (around $187–$188), while CBO summaries discuss historical averages such as a 2010 household monthly benefit figure ($287) or per‑day per‑person approximations ($4.30) but do not present a nationwide per‑taxpayer or per‑resident $36 figure. One analysis noted media references to a "$36 monthly boost" in benefit announcements, but those references are distinct from an across‑the‑board "$36 per American" attribution and are not documented in the provided CBO/USDA/OMB excerpts [1] [2] [3] [5] [6]. This mismatch suggests the $36 figure is a derived or headline-friendly number rather than a labeled statistic found in these agencies’ reports.
2. What the USDA and ERS actually publish — totals and participant averages, not per‑American math
USDA and its Economic Research Service report aggregate program spending and participant statistics: FY2024 federal SNAP outlays of about $99.8–$100.3 billion and average monthly benefits per participant of roughly $187–$188. They also publish participation rates such as the percent of the population receiving SNAP, demographic breakdowns, and maximum allotments by household size, but they stop short of presenting a ready‑made per‑resident dollar figure labeled as “per American.” To reach a per‑American number one must divide total federal spending by an assumed population base or taxpayer base—an arithmetic step that appears outside the scope of USDA’s descriptive reporting [1] [2] [7]. USDA supplies the raw ingredients but does not publish the cooked per‑person digest labeled $36.
3. What CBO documents show — program context, projections, and historical averages, not the $36 metric
Congressional Budget Office publications included in the analyses outline SNAP spending trends, historical averages, and program characteristics; a cited CBO overview mentions an average household monthly benefit in 2010 and per‑person daily benefit metrics, but does not state a $36 per‑American figure nor provide a breakdown that yields that particular headline. A broader note in one analysis points out media references to a "$36 increase" in benefits announced at times, but that is distinct from a calculation dividing program costs across the entire U.S. population and is not contained in the CBO documents provided here [5] [6] [8]. CBO’s role is analytic and often granular, but the specific $36 per American is not documented in their summarized material.
4. How the $36 figure could be produced — simple arithmetic, hidden assumptions, and why that matters
A plausible source for a $36 per‑American number is simple arithmetic: divide total SNAP spending by the U.S. population (or by taxpayers) to produce a per‑person annual or monthly figure. The documents reviewed give totals and participation counts enabling such a calculation, but the choice of denominator (residents vs. households vs. taxpayers) and whether the figure is annual or monthly materially change the result. One analysis explicitly noted a lack of attribution: press coverage of a "$36 monthly boost" exists, but neither USDA nor CBO/OMB excerpts provided here present a labeled per‑American breakdown or the calculation steps [2] [6] [4]. Any headline claiming $36 per American should be treated as a calculated summary, not as a verbatim statistic published by these agencies.
5. Bottom line — verification steps and cautionary notes for readers and reporters
To verify a "$36 per American SNAP" claim demand a citation to the specific agency page or table showing that labeled calculation or the explicit arithmetic used. The supplied sources supply totals, averages, and participation metrics but do not contain a published $36 per‑resident figure or a supporting breakdown, meaning the claim rests on an inferred computation rather than a published government statistic [1] [2] [6] [4]. Reporters or consumers should ask for the numerator, denominator, and time frame used to create any per‑person headline, and look for an agency memo or OMB/CBO appendix that explicitly performs that division before repeating the $36 line as an official government figure.