DHS details SNAP reach, summer EBT rollout and warns federal cuts would deepen need

Deputy Secretary Wafam of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) told the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee that SNAP remains the commonwealth's largest anti-hunger tool and that Pennsylvania opted into the USDA's permanent Summer EBT program in 2024.

Wafam said Summer EBT (branded in testimony as "Sunbucks") provided more than 1,200,000 children with a $120.20 benefit in 2024 and that the benefit is 100% federally funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. She said DHS plans system upgrades for 2025 to streamline automatic enrollment and application processes.

The deputy secretary described the scale of SNAP in Pennsylvania: the program serves about 2,100,000 people, including roughly 710,000 children, 690,000 older Pennsylvanians and 12,000 adults with disabilities. DHS staff said SNAP delivers about $360,000,000 in federal benefits each month in Pennsylvania and that SNAP households account for roughly 15.46% of the state's population. DHS reported there are about 10,000 participating retailers statewide and that the average SNAP household benefit is about $347 per month while the minimum benefit in 2025 is $23.

Wafam emphasized that SNAP does more than provide food; she said USDA economic research shows every $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.54 in economic activity. DHS contracts with local outreach partners to assist SNAP enrollment and currently supports seven outreach partners covering 50 counties, with state, private and matching federal funds budgeted for those efforts.

DHS warned the committee that proposals at the federal level to cut or limit SNAP would create needs the charitable food system could not fully absorb. "Any attempt to limit that reach or impact of SNAP to households we serve will create needs that cannot be addressed by our charitable food network, our hospitals, and schools alone," Wafam said. She urged continued engagement from the General Assembly to tell the program's fiscal and human story.

The department submitted detailed tables and county-level SNAP dashboards for committee members and offered to provide the written testimony and data cited during the hearing.

Ending: DHS reiterated that Summer EBT and SNAP are federally funded programs that rely on state systems for delivery and outreach; the department asked lawmakers to consider the programs' economic as well as nutritional impact when assessing budget and policy changes.