Letter: SNAP Budget Cuts Could Force States to Withdraw from SNAP Entirely
Lawmakers call on House leadership to eliminate the unprecedented, harmful cuts to the federal SNAP program, which jeopardizes access to food assistance for millions of eligible low-income households.
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), along with 33 House signers, sent a letter calling on Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to strike SNAP-related provisions from the budget reconciliation bill, including the unprecedented cost-shift provision which would force states to cover portions of the SNAP benefits costs, the first time ever in the program’s 50-year history.
In their letter, lawmakers wrote, “Based on the language of the underlying Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (FNA) combined with the proposed changes in HR 1, some states may be unable to meet the newly introduced state cost-sharing requirements. This raises the alarming possibility that certain states may be forced to withdraw from SNAP entirely.”
They continued by highlighting that the bill’s provisions leave no flexibility for how a state can administer SNAP, either providing full benefits or none at all, “If the state cannot appropriate the required funds, its only options may be to drastically reduce program enrollment— effectively denying benefits to many eligible individuals—or to withdraw from SNAP entirely, leaving households without any assistance.”
The lawmakers continued by emphasizing the budgetary constraints the cost-share provision will put on states across the country, “Since annual SNAP benefit issuance for states can reach billions of dollars, a 15 percent state contribution would mean hundreds of millions of dollars in new expenses… Additionally, the proposed cost-shift is highly volatile; a relatively small increase in a state’s SNAP error rate could require the state to pay tens or hundreds of millions of dollars more than in the prior year, making it difficult for states to plan and budget for these costs long-term.”
The lawmakers concluded by saying, “[W]e respectfully urge the House Leadership to carefully consider significant implementation challenges of the SNAP provisions before moving forward with final passage of HR 1. Ensuring clarity and flexibility in the legislation before passage is essential to avoid jeopardizing state participation and the food security of millions of Americans.”
Full text of the letter is available here.