FACT CHECK: ARE THERE MORE AMERICANS ON FOOD STAMPS THAN THERE ARE PEOPLE IN CANADA?

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio claimed Thursday that there are more Americans on food stamps than there are people in Canada.

“More Americans on Food Stamps than the entire population of Canada. Yet Democrats won’t support work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving your tax dollars,” he tweeted.

Verdict: True

Canada has an estimated total population of 37 million, while 40.3 million Americans used food stamps in fiscal year 2018.

Fact Check:

Jordan’s tweet linked to an article discussing the debate over the new farm bill, which includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),formerly known as food stamps.

In FY 2018, 40.3 million people living in 20.1 million households participated in SNAP, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The average SNAP household received about $250 per month. The Census Bureau estimates there are currently 329 million people living in the U.S.

Canada had a population of 37.1 million as of July, according to Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government.

The number of SNAP participants had been increasing steadily since the start of the 21st century, rising from an average of 17.2 million in FY 2000 to 28.2 million in FY 2008. It spiked to a high of 47.6 million in FY 2013 in the years following theGreat Recession, followed by a decline as the economy continued to recover.

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