Over Five Million People Lose Food Assistance Amid SNAP Funding Uncertainty

The U.S.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faces funding uncertainty, and a Republican-backed budget bill has already caused more than five million people to lose assistance.

States and national food assistance organizations are calling on Congress to delay the implementation of cost shifts to ease the fiscal burden on states.

Core content of this article: · Location: Nationwide in the United States, including Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas · Key entities: U.S.

Congress, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Arizona Department of Economic Security · Key figure: About five million people nationwide have lost SNAP assistance, including more than 1.5 million children · Key figure: Starting October 1, states will bear 75 percent of SNAP administrative costs Republican Budget Bill Causes Five Million People to Lose SNAP Assistance Unless the U.S.

Congress passes a resolution delaying major changes in the Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will face major upheaval at the end of September.

Starting October 1, states will have to bear 75 percent of the program's administrative costs, and over the next several years, the funding burden for providing benefits to participants will shift from the federal government to the states.

According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), since the budget bill became law, about five million Americans nationwide have lost SNAP assistance, including more than 1.5 million children.

Dottie Rosenbaum, the center's director of federal SNAP policy, told ABC News that the decline is mainly due to changes in work requirements and administrative obstacles during application, plus the significant cost shift states must bear if they want SNAP to remain fully funded.

Stricter Work Requirements Put Food Banks Under Huge Pressure Under the new law, the upper age limit for able-bodied adults without dependents who must meet work requirements rises from 54 to 64.

In addition, exemptions for parents and other family members responsible for dependents have also changed, with the eligibility age lowered from 18 to 14.

Rosenbaum noted that the current decline in SNAP participation rates is far greater and faster than the Congressional Budget Office predicted when the law was enacted, and the fact that more than 1.5 million children have had assistance cut is especially shocking.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview on Fox Business in January that the American Dream is not about relying on food stamp programs, and these programs should provide help, not charity.

The White House did not comment on the impact of the new work requirements.

In addition to administrative costs, states will also pay a certain proportion of benefit costs in the coming years based on their error rates.

This benefit cost shift could take effect as early as 2027 and may lead to cuts or major changes in other state-run programs.

These changes are forcing food banks to step in to fill the gap.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security took action to reduce errors after the bill took effect, causing more than 400,000 SNAP recipients to lose eligibility.

Terri Shoemaker, executive vice president of the Arizona Food Bank Network, said the number of people going to food banks increased by roughly the same amount, and food banks will struggle to keep up with demand.

States Call on Congress to Delay Cost Shift In New Mexico, Jill Dixon, executive director of the food bank The Food Depot, pointed out that lines for food are often as long as 1.5 miles.

In Republican-leaning states, the impact is equally significant.

Louisiana has the second-highest per capita decline, with 21 percent of recipients no longer receiving assistance.

Jeff Quick, CEO of the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, warned that if the worst-case scenario occurs, it could have an estimated $1.2 billion negative economic impact on the state.

State and national food bank organizations are asking Congress to pass a resolution delaying the cost shift, giving states more time to reduce error rates before taking on additional costs.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman released a version of the farm bill that would delay the SNAP cost shift, but it has not yet passed the House.

Lawmakers will return to Washington on September 14 after the August recess.

Source: ABC News Cover source: Adobe Stock The post Over Five Million People Lose Food Assistance Amid SNAP Funding Uncertainty appeared first on Sing Tao Daily.