Trump tried to limit SNAP during the shutdown. Many in his base were eligible.

The primary way the federal government ensures families don’t go hungry is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. About 42 million people use the assistance to buy groceries, which averages around $187 per month.

SNAP was caught in the middle of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which ended Nov. 12. As funding lapsed in early November, it was unclear how recipients would afford to feed their families.

For some, desperation set in. The New York Times interviewed a woman who, unable to find anything at a local food pantry, turned to food thrown away in a Walmart parking lot dumpster.

During the shutdown, the Trump administration tried to stymie the flow of benefits by ordering states to “immediately undo” payments. While a federal court ordered the payments to be made, the Supreme Court intervened and allowed the administration to withhold assistance. This was possibly in anticipation of the shutdown’s end, which would restore funding for SNAP.

The Trump administration has claimed the program is rife with fraud, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department oversees SNAP payments, said about 700,000 people have been kicked out of the program since January, according to NPR.

Many people in Trump’s political base are eligible for SNAP benefits. Farmers and other rural residents have consistently backed the president, and they are also likely to live in areas with increasingly high rates of food insecurity.

Because of another Trump policy, it’s possible fewer people in rural areas will be eligible for food assistance over the next decade.

Over the summer, more work requirements were added to the program. Caregivers to children under the age of 18 used to be exempt, but now only caregivers with children under 14 are. Veterans also used to be exempt but now aren’t.

The new requirements will likely cause about 2.4 million people to lose their benefits, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

New polling by the left-leaning group Data for Progress showed most voters had a largely favorable view of SNAP. This included 92% of Democrats, 71% of independents and 69% of Republicans.

The results dovetailed with another poll, by the Associated Press, that showed, in the past several months, support for how Trump is managing the government has fallen. In March, 81% of Republicans approved. In November, the figure was 68%.

Data Harvest (formerly Graphic of the Week) is Investigate Midwest’s way of making complex agricultural data easy to understand. Through engaging graphics, charts, and maps, we break down key trends to help readers quickly grasp the forces shaping farming, food systems, and rural communities. Want us to explore other data trends? Let us know here.