By Nadia Ramlagan
The number of West Virginia children living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation, and more children are living in households struggling with hunger, according to the latest federal data.
The end of pandemic supports combined with rising inflation, rent, and the cost of living, are to blame experts say.
The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in half, said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director with Food Research & Action Center.
When it ended, he said more families dipped back into poverty. Now, the child poverty rate has hit nearly 14%.
“Had we added a few more dollars to that program, it could have cut child poverty entirely,” said Bhatti. “But it was a deliberate policy choice that the government made to not do that, and then another deliberate choice to remove that expansion.”
According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, child poverty in the Mountain State dipped from 25% in 2022 to around 20% in 2023.
But despite the reduced numbers, the number of kids living in poverty remains among the highest in the nation.
Nearly 14 million children live in households currently experiencing food insecurity, up by more than 3% from 2022.
Bhatti noted that nearly 35% of single parent households headed by women struggle to pay for groceries.
He said his organization wants Congress to protect the Thrifty Food Plan, which sets the standard for the maximum amount of SNAP benefits households receive.
“Some lawmakers want to cut that Thrifty Food Plan adjustment,” said Bhatti, “and as a result, that would cut $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next 10 years.”
Experts say kids who eat healthy meals are less likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, dental cavities, and other health problems.
But as more kids go hungry or lack access to quality food, they’re also more likely to be uninsured.
According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of children without health coverage rose to nearly 6% in 2023.
