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By Aliss Higham
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House Republicans have narrowly passed sweeping legislation known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," advancing key elements of President Donald Trump's policy agenda, including major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest nutrition aid program.
The legislation exceeds 1,000 pages and contains some of the most significant changes to SNAP eligibility and benefits in recent years, including expanded work requirements, restricted exemptions for families, and demands for increased state financial participation.
Why It Matters
SNAP helps more than 40 million Americans purchase groceries each month. The proposed reforms could impact millions by tightening eligibility, shifting program costs to states, and limiting future benefit increases.
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What To Know
The bill seeks to reduce federal spending on SNAP by $267 billion over 10 years by implementing the following:
Expanded Work Requirements
The House bill would require more SNAP recipients to work in order to maintain eligibility. Specifically, it lowers the age cap at which work requirements end from 64 to 54 years old. Able-bodied adults without dependents would be subject to these rules unless they meet other exemptions
Additionally, only parents with children under age 7 would be exempt from the work requirements, a significant change from the current exemption for parents with children under 18. This means parents with school-age children as young as 7 must work to keep their benefits.
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Reduced State and Federal Exemptions
The legislation limits states' ability to exempt individuals from SNAP work requirements, reducing the number and type of individuals exempted from the mandate. The bill further constrains future federal administrations' ability to expand or adjust exemption criteria or benefit levels.
Shifting Costs to States
The House package would require states to take on a greater share of both SNAP benefits and administrative costs beginning in fiscal year 2028. As it stands, benefits are fully funded by the federal government, with state governments taking on half the administrative cost of the program.
These funding changes mean states would pay more to run the program and provide food aid, an unprecedented shift that could prompt state-level changes to eligibility and benefit rules.
"Mandating that states pay even a small share of SNAP food benefit costs would hit state budgets hard at a time when many states are facing revenue downturns," the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, reported in March this year.
"States are not in a position to absorb these substantial additional costs. In fiscal year 2024, tax revenue fell in 40 states after adjusting for inflation, and many states are projecting budget shortfalls in the short and long term."
Potential Impact on School Nutrition Programs
Because school meals are often tied to SNAP participation, changes to SNAP eligibility and coverage could lead to fewer children qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches at school.
The Urban Institute has reported that some 18 million students nationwide are enrolled in universal free meal programs, such as the Community Eligibility Provision. These schools "could be subject to increased costs that could threaten their access to the popular CEP if the proposed changes to SNAP take effect."
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson on the passage of the bill: "Today, the House has passed generational, nation-shaping legislation that reduces spending, permanently lowers taxes for families and job creators, secures the border, unleashes American energy dominance, restores peace through strength, and makes government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans."
President Donald Trump told reporters: "The cut is going to give everybody much more food because prices are coming way down, groceries are down."
Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat, on X (formerly Twitter): "This GOP Tax Scam will mean more families with kids will have empty fridges. More veterans will go hungry. More seniors will have to take medicine on empty stomachs. Millions of people will lose their SNAP benefits—all to give huge tax breaks to billionaires. Just shameful!"
Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc of the United States, said in a statement to Newsweek: "This is the brutal reality for the millions who will lose health coverage and food assistance under this plan. The combined effect of the historic $715 billion in cuts to federal Medicaid spending and the cost-shifting to states in SNAP will set up chaos at the state level. States will be forced to quickly stand up costly and burdensome systems to abide by the work requirements."
Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest in New York, said in a statement to Newsweek: "These cuts will take food away from children, seniors, and working New Yorkers, at a time when 50 percent of working-age New Yorkers are already struggling to cover necessities amidst an affordability crisis, and when visits to New York City soup kitchens and food pantries are at a record high.
"For every meal that food banks provide, SNAP provides nine. Not only is SNAP an effective way to reduce food insecurity, it's also a stimulant to the local economy—every $1 of SNAP benefits spent at neighborhood bodegas and supermarkets generates more than $1.50 of economic activity."
What Happens Next
The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" now advances to the Senate, where further negotiations and possible amendments are expected before any changes to SNAP or other safety net programs become law.
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