Five Million Americans Lose SNAP Access Under GOP Budget Bill

Approximately 5 million Americans, including 1.5 million children, have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) following the enactment of H.R. 1, a Republican-backed budget bill. The decline results from stricter work requirements that raised the age limit for able-bodied adults without dependents from 54 to 64, alongside increased administrative hurdles.

Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, defended the requirements, stating that such programs should be a "hand up, not a handout." However, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the participation decline is deeper and faster than the Congressional Budget Office predicted. State-level impacts are significant, with Louisiana seeing a 21% per-capita decline and Arizona reporting over 400,000 lost recipients after the Arizona Department of Economic Security expanded documentation and income monitoring.

Starting October 1, states must cover 75% of the program's administrative costs, with further shifts in benefit costs tied to state error rates expected by 2027. Food assistance groups and state leaders are urging Congress to pass a resolution delaying these cost shifts to prevent further cuts and allow states to improve payment accuracy. While Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman released a version of the farm bill that would delay the shift, the measure has not yet advanced through the House.