President Donald Trump has promised sweeping changes to numerous government programs since he won the 2024 presidential election and subsequently entered the White House last week.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which are administered to millions of Americans in need every month, could undergo several changes under the new administration as Republican lawmakers propose a raft of changes to the largest anti-hunger program in the U.S.
Why It Matters
Commonly known as “food stamps,” SNAP benefits are administered nationwide to low- and no-income households that would otherwise struggle to purchase groceries. In 2023, the program served an average of 42.1 million people per month, or 12.6 percent of U.S. residents.
While it is a lifeline for Americans who struggle to make ends meet, Republicans have also lamented its cost. In fiscal year 2022, the government spent $119.4 billion on SNAP, according to the Pew Research Center. Some $113.9 billion was paid in benefits, while $5.5 billion was used for administrative costs and other expenses.
What To Know
Republicans have sweeping plans for the SNAP program, mostly aimed at reducing its overall cost as well as tackling poor health.
Changed Benefit Amounts
Republicans have touted changes to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP)—the formula used by the Department of Agriculture for calculating benefit amounts.
According to a memo filed by House Republicans, lawmakers have plans to undo former President Joe Biden‘s expansion of the TFP, which led to a 23 percent increase in SNAP benefits in 2021. It provided regular updates on how much SNAP recipients can receive outside of inflation adjustments.
Republicans want to do away with this amendment to the TFP, which would reduce the buying power of SNAP benefits in the long term. They say Biden’s decision, implemented without a review from Congress, violated the 1996 Congressional Review Act.
Eligibility Changes
Under current law, states can use something called broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE) to provide SNAP benefits to individuals who would otherwise be ineligible. This policy allows people receiving assistance from programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to be automatically enrolled in SNAP.
The Republican budget recommends removing the BBCE “because some TANF services are available to households with incomes higher than those that are eligible for SNAP, states can allow individuals to enroll in SNAP without meeting federal eligibility criteria for assets, income, or both.”
Cap Maximum Benefits
Under current USDA rules, benefits are issued based on the number of eligible recipients living in a household. Republicans are planning to cap the maximum household SNAP benefit equal to a family of six.
This means the maximum amount available, under current benefit rules, would be $1,390 per month for households with more than six members.
Work Requirements
As it stands, to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months during three consecutive years, able-bodied beneficiaries aged 18 to 54 must show they have worked at least 80 hours a month. Republicans want to raise this upper age limit to 56.
‘Junk’ Food Restrictions
Banning unhealthy foods from being bought with SNAP benefits has long been a priority of some Republican lawmakers, and the push has been renewed since Trump won the election.
Last week, Republican Representative Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma introduced a bill—the Healthy SNAP Act—that would exclude “soft drinks, candy, ice cream and prepared desserts” from being purchased using SNAP benefits.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and USDA Secretary-designate Brooke Rollins, calling for the government agencies to take action against SNAP benefits being allowed for purchase of “junk food,” including “soda, unhealthy snacks, candy and dessert.”
What People Are Saying
Brecheen said in a press release regarding the Healthy SNAP Act: “President Trump has been given a mandate by the majority of Americans to Make America Healthy Again, and those in his administration, like RFK Jr. and Senator Marco Rubio, have directly advocated for eliminating junk food purchases with SNAP. If someone wants to buy junk food on their own dime, that’s up to them. But what we’re saying is, don’t ask the taxpayer to pay for it and then also expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for the resulting health consequences.”
Katie Bergh, Dottie Rosenbaum and Catlin Nchako of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities: “Regardless of how cuts or other harmful changes to SNAP are proposed, lawmakers should reject plans that would make it harder for families across the U.S. to afford healthy diets. Instead, they should take steps to ensure that low-income people will continue to be able to put food on the table and to strengthen SNAP to do even more to combat food insecurity and hunger.”
What’s Next
The Republican budget proposal will need to go through several Congressional processes before any of its plans can become law—and is likely to face major opposition from Democratic lawmakers.
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