'Cruel' Republican SNAP Cuts Spell Economic Catastrophe for Families, Farmers, and State Budgets

State and local officials, anti-hunger organizations, farmers, and families across the United States are bracing for impact as congressional Republicans plow ahead with legislation that would slash federal nutrition assistance by hundreds of billions of dollars, a potentially devastating blow to low-income Americans that would reverberate in every community across the country.

A centerpiece of the Republican measure, which passed out of the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, is a proposal to force states to pay a percentage of the funding for food aid provided under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Currently, SNAP food benefits are 100% funded by the federal government, with states picking up roughly half of the costs of administering the program.

If enacted, the Republican plan would require states to pay between 5% and 25% of the cost of SNAP food aid, depending on payment error rates. The legislation would also force states to pick up 75% of the program's administrative costs, effective immediately.

In a letter to lawmakers earlier this week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey warned that the GOP proposal would shift "significant costs to states that they did not plan for and cannot afford."

Healey estimated that the Republican plan would cost her state up to $650 million annually, which the Democratic governor called "an exorbitant burden" that neither Massachusetts nor other states would be able to absorb.

"These proposed changes would create an impossible situation for our most vulnerable families and residents," Healey wrote. "SNAP supports more than one million Massachusetts residents, one-third of whom are elderly, one-quarter of them are children, and a quarter of those who receive SNAP in our state have a disability."

"Beyond the direct benefits to families, SNAP is essential to the state's economy," she added. "Every dollar in SNAP benefits generates up to $1.50 in local economic activity, supporting thousands of Massachusetts jobs across many different industries, including farmers, grocers, manufacturers, delivery drivers, and other positions throughout the food supply chain."

"They know damn well that neither states nor individuals can meet the new requirements put on them by these changes, and that this is how they plan to force millions of people off of SNAP."

The impacts of the SNAP cuts would be far-reaching, with direct and indirect consequences in states nationwide. One independent grocery store owner in Opelika, Alabama told The Washington Post that "in all my years of business, I don't remember laying anybody off."

"These reductions may make it where I have to visit that for the first time," he said.

The National Grocers Association, the top trade organization for the independent grocery industry, estimated earlier this month that SNAP funding backs roughly 388,000 jobs, accounts for more than $20 billion in direct wages, and helps generate billions of dollars in state and federal revenue.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warned Tuesday that "if every state had needed to pay 5% of food benefit costs last year, states would have needed to collectively pay about $4.7 billion."

"Because SNAP is an optional program for states," the group said, "these deep federal funding cuts may result in some states opting to end SNAP entirely if they are unable to come up with the state funds required to fill the hole left by deep federal cuts."

Farmers have joined independent grocers, state leaders, and others in advocating against the GOP's proposed cuts.

Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center, stressed Wednesday that the proposed SNAP cuts "do not exist in a vacuum."

"While framed as a fiscal measure, the impact of these changes would ripple across entire sectors—harming families, farmers, grocers, local governments, and local economies," said FitzSimons. "This bill is a cruel attempt to drastically shrink access to critical food assistance and deter enrollment."

On top of the cost-sharing provisions, the Republican bill would significantly expand SNAP work requirements, adding another layer of bureaucracy that could put millions at risk of losing benefits.

"This bill is unacceptable, inhumane, and reckless," said Abby Leibman, the president and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. "Republicans in the White House and Congress know that these proposed changes to SNAP—which go even further than the budget reconciliation directives—are outrageous and destructive."

"In fact, that's the point," Leibman said. "They know damn well that neither states nor individuals can meet the new requirements put on them by these changes, and that this is how they plan to force millions of people off of SNAP while giving tax breaks to their wealthiest donors."