It’s not just Medicaid—House Republicans want to cut food stamps too

While most of the debate over House Republicans’ reconciliation bill has focused on proposed Medicaid cuts, the bill also targets SNAP—the country’s largest anti-hunger program.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low-income households buy food. The program is funded by the federal government and run locally by states.

The Republican proposal would cut $300 billion from SNAP by forcing states to pick up more of the tab and by imposing stricter work requirements.

“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,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said in a statement. “This means more seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and children will go to bed hungry.”

Cuts to SNAP, like Medicaid, would go toward funding an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which primarily benefited wealthy people and big corporations.

Republicans are proposing that states cover 5% of the SNAP benefits they receive, along with additional administrative costs. For 28 states, this would mean taking on 25% of the expenses currently paid by the federal government. Some states may struggle to afford the new costs without either tightening eligibility for SNAP or cutting funding for other public services.

“States will do different things depending on their positioning, but I don’t see any scenario where they’re able to avoid significantly cutting SNAP,” Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the policy think tank the Urban Institute, told the Washington Post.

The cuts could also adversely affect farmers, who receive a large portion of their income through SNAP purchases. SNAP benefits can also be spent at farmers’ markets that support smaller farms and local economies.

President Donald Trump targeted SNAP in his first term as well.

Able-bodied SNAP recipients were required to work 20 hours a week for at least three months over a 36-month period. States, however, could create exceptions for people living in areas with high unemployment.

In 2019, the White House blocked states from providing such exceptions. Nearly 700,000 people lost SNAP benefits as a result.

The states with the highest SNAP participation—Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia—all supported Trump in the 2024 election.