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By Aliss Higham
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The Trump administration could shift a considerable burden for funding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from the federal government to state agencies.
Why It Matters
SNAP benefits are paid to low- and no-income households across the United States that would otherwise struggle to afford groceries. The program reached some 41 million Americans in 2024. Benefits are funded entirely by the federal government, with states required to pay 50 percent of the administrative costs.
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What To Know
GOP lawmakers are considering making states take on more of the cost of the anti-poverty program, Politico reported. It comes as the House Agriculture Committee, which oversees SNAP, weighs a House-approved budget plan that instructs a $230 billion cut in federal spending over the next decade.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the USDA oversees SNAP at the federal level. In 2023, total federal spending on the program was $112.8 billion. At the local level, state agencies manage the program by determining household eligibility and distributing benefits accordingly.
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One proposal under consideration would gradually require states to cover 22.5 percent of SNAP food benefit costs over the next 10 years. However, talks are still ongoing, with the committee expected to deliver its mark-up of the budget in early May.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a left-leaning think tank, has estimated that once fully phased in by 2034, this cost-sharing requirement would add approximately $23.65 billion in new expenses across state budgets for that year alone.
"States are required to balance their budgets each year, so taking on any additional costs would require them to raise an equal amount of revenue or cut funding for other programs and services that people rely on," Katie Bergh, senior policy analyst at CBPP, said.
What People Are Saying
Ben Goldey, a spokesperson for Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson, told Newsweek: "The Chairman is doing his due diligence to leave no stone unturned in finding reforms that will curb wasteful spending and that includes looking at how states administer SNAP, which spends over $13 billion per year in erroneous payments. All options to rein in that waste and incentivize better state administration of the program are on the table."
CBPP analyst Katie Bergh: "Because states likely wouldn't be able to fully fill in the dramatic hole in federal SNAP funding this proposal would create, they would need to take away some or all of people's food assistance, leaving many low-income households unable to afford groceries."
What Happens Next
The House Agriculture Committee is still considering the budget resolution. According to Politico, a markup of the spending is expected around May 7-8.
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