FACT CHECK: TRUMP SAYS 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LIFTED OFF FOOD STAMPS

President Donald Trump said in remarks at the White House recently that 3.5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps.

Verdict: True

The number of people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits declined by 3.6 million since Trump was elected president and 3.1 million since he assumed office.

Fact Check:

Trump mentioned the decline in food stamp recipients, along with a number of other statistics that highlighted the health of the economy, after the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that gross domestic product grew an estimated 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018.

“More than 3.5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps – something that you haven’t seen in decades,” he said.

SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are vouchers that low-income Americans can use to buy food at approved retailers. States run and administer the program, while the federal government funds the benefits.

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