House Republicans propose major reforms to SNAP
House Republicans rolled out legislation Monday evening that would make significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as the party seeks deep cuts to federal spending as part of a broader plan to advance President Trump's legislative agenda.
The 97-page text from the House Agriculture Committee includes provisions that would require states to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs, tighten eligibility requirements for the program and seek to block the federal government from being able to increase monthly benefits in the future.
The panel is set to hold a meeting on the legislation later Tuesday afternoon, with hopes to advance the text out of committee.
The proposal comes as Republicans are assembling a sprawling package across multiple committees to enact Trump's tax priorities, boost funding for defense and his deportation plans, and significantly cut federal spending.
For their role in the party's overall goal to find more than a trillion dollars in savings, Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee were tasked with crafting recommendations for at least $230 billion in cuts.
The GOP-led committee touted the legislation on social media upon its rollout as a measure that would restore SNAP 'to its original intent' and promote 'work, not welfare—while saving taxpayer dollars and investing in American agriculture.'
While SNAP benefits are currently funded by the federal government, the proposal calls for the federal share of the cost of allotments to go from 100 percent in the next two fiscal years to 95 percent in fiscal 2028 'and each fiscal year thereafter.'
It also includes language to increase the states' 5 percent share of benefit costs in fiscal 2028 depending on its payment error rate. If the error rate is 6 percent or higher, states would be subject to a sliding scale that could see its share of allotments rise to a range of between 15 percent and 25 percent.
Democrats have sharply criticized the proposal, which they argue could lead to states cutting benefits on their own.
The measure explicitly blocks the Department of Agriculture from increasing the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is used to determine benefit amounts for the program, based on a reevaluation or other updates.
Republicans have accused former President Biden of abusing his power when its 2021 TFP reevaluation led to a 21 percent increase in SNAP benefits, which they say goes against decades of precedent in ensuring cost-neutrality as part of the process.
But Democrats have previously pushed back against efforts that would rein in the administration's ability to increase benefits, particularly as research has found millions were kept out of poverty after SNAP benefits were boosted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), chair of the committee, told The Hill ahead of the release that he expects the measure will 'honor my principles I set forward in terms of facilitating a farm bill as the first principle.'
He added that he thinks the proposed changes will make a deal on a new farm bill 'more likely' this year. Congress agreed to another extension of the 2018 farm bill as part of a larger government funding compromise last year after bipartisan talks on a new farm deal fell apart.
The bill would also decrease the administrative cost the federal government is required to pay to help cover program operations in the states by 25 percent, yanks back some funds from Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act, with a host of other farm provisions.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, warned Monday night that the House Republicans' proposal would make it harder for Congress to pass a bipartisan farm bill later this year, however.
'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 that 42 million Americans rely on to put food on the table – all to fund a tax cut for billionaires,' Klobuchar said in a statement.
'This means more seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and children will go to bed hungry. It means farmers, who are already operating on razor-thin margins, will see billions in lost revenue. It will mean job losses and lost wages for everyone who is a part of the food system – from truck drivers to local grocers,' she argued.
Julia Manchester contributed.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Miami Herald
32 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Florida Democrats look to stop the bleeding during annual political conference
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Newsweek
39 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows Where US Strikes Hit in Iran
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Trump Claims Success After U.S. Bombs Key Iran Nuclear Sites
Top Republicans in Congress swiftly rallied behind President Trump on Saturday after he ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, even as senior Democrats and some G.O.P. lawmakers condemned it as an unconstitutional move that could drag the United States into a broader war in the Middle East. In separate statements, the leading Republicans in Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, commended the military operation, calling it a necessary check on Iran's ambitions of developing a nuclear weapon. Both men had been briefed on the military action before the strike was carried out, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Thune both argued that the airstrikes were necessary after Iran had rejected diplomatic overtures to curb its nuclear program. 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Representative Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, condemned the operation as unconstitutional and warned that it could drag the United States into a larger conflict. 'Donald Trump's decision to launch direct military action against Iran without congressional approval is a clear violation of the Constitution, which grants the power to declare war explicitly to Congress,' he said in a statement. 'It is impossible to know at this stage whether this operation accomplished its objectives. We also don't know if this will lead to further escalation in the region and attacks against our forces, events that could easily pull us even deeper into a war in the Middle East.' While Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, called Mr. Trump's move 'the right call,' the top Democrat on the panel, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, said he had taken steps that could drag the United States into a war 'without consulting Congress, without a clear strategy, without regard to the consistent conclusions of the intelligence community, and without explaining to the American people what's at stake.' Leading national security Democrats on Capitol Hill were not informed of the strikes until after Mr. Trump had posted about them on social media, according to three people familiar with the matter who would discuss it only on the condition of anonymity. And one high-profile Democrat, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called the operation grounds for impeachment. 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment,' Ms. Ocasio-Cortez of New York said in a post on social media. Democrats widely condemned the surprise attack as unconstitutional. But Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was the first on Saturday to say it was grounds for Trump's removal, breaking with party leaders who have avoided talk of impeachment since the president returned to the White House, after two failed attempts to remove him during his first term. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, but in modern times, presidents of both parties have unilaterally carried out attacks on other countries without congressional authorization. It has been decades since Congress voted on whether to authorize military force, and efforts to claw back the legislative branch's war powers have repeatedly stalled. Most of the praise immediately following the operation in Iran came from Republicans, many of whom argued that the bombings would not lead to a ground deployment of American forces in the region. 'To those concerned about U.S. involvement — this isn't a 'forever war' in fact, it's ending one,' Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, said on social media. Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, called Mr. Trump's decision to strike in Iran 'deliberate' and 'correct.' 'We now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies and stability for the Middle East,' Mr. Wicker said in a statement. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, whose unqualified support for Israel has put him at odds with other members of his party, was one of the few Democrats to offer an immediate statement of support. He wrote on social media that the military action 'was the correct move.' 'Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities,' Mr. Fetterman added. 'I'm grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.' Other lawmakers, many of them Democrats who had already expressed concerns that the Trump administration was considering sidestepping Congress's constitutional power to declare war, immediately criticized the strikes on the nuclear sites. Image Representative Thomas Massie, center, said the strikes were not constitutional. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times Mr. Trump, 'did not come to Congress to explain his reasons for bombing a sovereign nation and to seek authorization for these strikes,' Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, said in a statement. 'These reckless actions are going to put the lives of American service members and American citizens at risk.' Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, who earlier this week introduced a bipartisan resolution that would require congressional approval before U.S. troops could engage in offensive attacks against Iran, wrote on social media that the attack was 'not Constitutional.' Carl Hulse and Megan Mineiro contributed reporting.
