Johnson signs Food Stamp Act of 1964, establishing first permanent federal food assistance program

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Food Stamp Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-525), creating a permanent federal food assistance program for low-income Americans. The act directs the USDA to issue coupons redeemable at grocery stores to households meeting income and resource limits. About 350,000 people receive benefits in the program's first month. The program later becomes known as SNAP and accounts for about 76 percent of all Farm Bill spending by 2026. (Library of Congress, Aug. 31, 1964)