SNAP’s funding model is starting to change. Here’s what that means for the program
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Changes to the food assistance program known as SNAP take effect today. The federal government is now paying less to help states run it. The change was triggered by Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act. More than $3 billion a year is expected to shift from the federal government's tab onto states. NPR's Juliana Kim reports.
JULIANA KIM, BYLINE: For decades, the federal government and states have evenly split the cost to run SNAP, like paying for workers and staff training. Meanwhile, food benefits themselves were entirely paid with federal dollars. And there's a reason for that. Here's Katie Bergh with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
KATIE BERGH: That essentially ensured that eligible families who were seeking benefits could get them, even if they lived in a state that had much higher rates of poverty or a smaller tax base.
KIM: But starting today, federal funding for operational costs will be cut in half. And states will have to shoulder the remaining difference. The advocacy group Food Research & Action Center estimates that states would need to shore up anywhere between $3 million to $670 million to fully cover the loss in federal funding. California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan are expected to be especially hard hit.
Over the past year, states have been preparing for this deadline by rebalancing their budgets. And they'll probably have to tighten their belts even further, as more funding changes are on the way. Next fall, states will face deep penalties depending on their payment error rate. That's the measure of whether states are overpaying or underpaying recipients. Bergh says these mounting costs will force states to find new sources of revenue or cut funding from other programs.
BERGH: And if a state can't fully cover those costs, they'll need to either further restrict access to SNAP, and we may see some states decide that they need to withdraw from the program entirely. And that would end food assistance for everyone in the state.
KIM: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, has not yet responded to a request for comment. Since President Trump's second term began, 6 million people have fallen off of the SNAP program. Most of that decline happened after the One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law.
Juliana Kim, NPR News.
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