As part of a larger strategy to further President Trump’s legislative agenda, House Republicans introduced legislation Monday night that would significantly alter the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The party also wants to drastically reduce federal spending.
The House Agriculture Committee’s 97-page report contains proposals that would tighten eligibility standards for SNAP, require states to pay a percentage of benefit expenses, and attempt to prevent future increases in monthly benefits from the federal government.
In an attempt to move the text out of committee, the panel is scheduled to reconvene later Tuesday afternoon to discuss the proposal.
The idea is part of a larger package that Republicans are putting together across several committees to implement Trump’s tax demands, increase defense spending and his deportation plans, and drastically reduce federal spending.
Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee were urged to develop suggestions for at least $230 billion in cuts as part of the party’s overarching objective to find more than a trillion dollars in savings.
On social media, the GOP-led committee hailed the bill when it was first introduced, saying it would put SNAP “back to its original intent” and encourage “work, not welfare—while saving taxpayer dollars and investing in American agriculture.”
The proposal asks for the federal part of the cost of allotments to increase from 100 percent in the next two fiscal years to 95 percent in fiscal 2028 “and each fiscal year thereafter,” even though the federal government now funds SNAP payments.
Additionally, it has provisions to raise the states’ 5% benefit cost share in fiscal 2028 based on their rate of payment errors.
States would be subject to a sliding scale that may increase their share of allotments to a range of 15 to 25 percent if the mistake rate was 6 percent or more.
The plan has drawn harsh criticism from Democrats, who claim it may force states to reduce benefits on their own.
The plan also calls for tightening employment requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, raising the age at which they must continue to work to gain eligibility from 54 to 64.
In the event of a reevaluation or other modifications, the bill specifically prohibits the Department of Agriculture from raising the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is used to calculate program benefit amounts.
When the 2021 TFP reevaluation resulted in a 21 percent increase in SNAP benefits, Republicans accused former President Biden of abusing his authority, arguing that this goes against decades of tradition that ensured cost-neutrality as part of the process.
Read Also: Former Olympic and NCAA Wrestling Champion Arrested in Ohio Prostitution Sting
However, Democrats have historically opposed measures that would limit the administration’s power to raise benefits, especially since studies have shown that SNAP benefits were increased during the coronavirus pandemic, keeping millions of people out of poverty.
Prior to the measure’s release, committee chair Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) told The Hill that he anticipates it will “honor my principles I set forward in terms of facilitating a farm bill as the first principle.”
He went on to say he believes a compromise on a new farm bill this year is “more likely” as a result of the suggested amendments. After bipartisan negotiations on a new agriculture deal broke down last year, Congress agreed to another extension of the 2018 farm bill as part of a bigger government funding accord.
Along with a number of other agriculture provisions, the plan would also claw back some funding from the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act and reduce by 25% the administrative costs the federal government must pay to assist fund program operations in the states.
The Senate Agriculture Committee’s senior Democrat, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, issued a warning Monday night that the House Republicans’ plan would make it more difficult for Congress to enact a bipartisan farm bill later this year.
“Instead of working with Democrats to lower costs from President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs, House Republicans have decided to pull the rug out from under families by cutting the SNAP benefits that 42 million Americans rely on to put food on the table – all to fund a tax cut for billionaires,” Klobuchar stated
“This means more seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and children will go to bed hungry. It means farmers, who are already operating on razor-thin margins, will see billions in lost revenue. It will mean job losses and lost wages for everyone who is a part of the food system – from truck drivers to local grocers,” she added.
