The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank estimates that at the beginning of May an additional six million recipients were added to the SNAP program bringing the total to 43 million.

The Center is advocating a temporary increase in SNAP benefits to $25 per month per person.  SNAP enrollment rose by more than 30 percent in Florida, Georgia and Michigan and by 20 percent in Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Nevada and Ohio in April.

There is a wide gulf between the two parties in Congress over the form of the proposed relief bill.  The White House is advocating a payroll tax cut.  This will not help those that are unemployed, representing a majority of new SNAP recipients.

Current SNAP enrollment represents 13 percent of the U.S. population, but the figure of 34 million reflects April and since this time, the economic situation has deteriorated with greater demand on food resources.