| SNAP Provision | Current Law | House Reconciliation Proposal | House Proposed Effective Date | CBO House Provision Scores: 2025 – 2034 (Millions of Dollars) | Senate Reconciliation Proposal | Senate Proposed Effective Date | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Cost Sharing | The federal government has historically paid 50% of SNAP's administrative costs. See 7 USC 2025. | Section 10007: Federal support for administrative costs would drop from 50% to just 25% shifting 75% of the burden costs onto states. | Effective upon passage | $27,357 | Section 10106: Same as House proposal. | Effective Fiscal year 2027 | Shifts a larger financial burden to states, reducing the capacity of state agencies to administer SNAP effectively. This could delay access and strain operations. This is on top of now having to pay for a share of benefit costs. |
| Expanded Work Requirements (Time Limits) | Under 7 USC 2015(o), households with children under 18 are exempted from and applies SNAP time limits to adults 18 to 55. The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 expanded these limits to include adults ages 50 - 54 (it was orginally 18-49) and added exemptions for individuals who are homeless, veterans, or under 24 and aged out of foster care. The FRA changes are set to expire on October 1, 2030. | Section 10002: Expands the harsh and ineffective 3-month time limit to include: Parents or grandparents of children age 7 or older, unless they are caring for the child while living with and married to another adult who meets the work requirements. Older adults, raising the age limit from 55 to 65. Sunsets the FRA exemptions on October 1, 2030. | Effective upon passage | $92,460 | Section 10102: Matches the House bill by raising the work requirement age for ABAWDs from 54 to 64. Unlike the House, which exempts individuals with children under age 7, the Senate proposal exempts those with children under age 10. It also eliminates the FRA exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth. | Effective upon passage | Significantly expands the population subject to time limits, increasing the risk of food insecurity for older adults and households with children. Under this proposal, a parent or caregiver could be cut off from SNAP simply for not meeting the 20-hour-per-week work requirement even if they're already providing unpaid care or face barriers to employment. But while the adult loses benefits, the household's food needs and expenses remain the same or even increase. |
| In 1996, Congress gave USDA authority to waive SNAP time limits in areas with an unemployment rate of over 10% or other indicators of insufficient jobs. In 1997, Congress created a formula giving states discretionary months to temporarily exempt individuals from SNAP's time limit due to hardship or local conditions. States currently receive months equal to 8% of those subject to the time limit. This tool has been repeatedly reduced from 15% to 12% in the 2018 Farm Bill, and from 12% to 8% in the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act. See 7 USC 2015(o), | Section 10003: States can only request a waiver if a county's unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent. It removes the state's ability to look at other indicators of insufficient jobs. And severely reduces discretionary exemptions from 8% to 1%. | Effective upon passage | Section 10102- Same as the House version except it does not reduce the discretionary exemptions. | Effective upon passage | Strips states of flexibility to respond to local economic conditions. Many areas with limited job opportunities but unemployment rates below 10 percent would no longer qualify for waivers, leading to a loss of benefits for residents. | ||
| Those 16-59 must meet SNAP's general work requirements that include registering for work, participating in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned, accepting a suitable job if offered, and not quitting a job or cutting hours below 30 per week without good cause. | Section 10008: Expands the age from 60 to 64. | Effective upon passage. | Not in the Senate proposal. | ||||
| Internet Cost Exclusion | Under 7 USC 2014(e), a household can deduct expenses that exceed 50% of their monthly income, up to a specified maximum limit. In 2024, after a thorough regulatory process and public input, USDA updated policy to include internet costs in the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA), recognizing that internet access is essential for low-income households to search for jobs and participate in school or training programs. | Section 10005: Reverses this improvement, prohibiting states from including internet costs in the SUA. | Effective upon passage | $10,980 | Section 10104: Same as House proposal. | Effective upon passage | Penalizes families with low incomes who rely on internet access for work, education, and health care. This reduces SNAP benefits despite the internet being an essential household expense. |
| Restrictions on Noncitizen Eligibility | Under 7 USC 2015(f), imposes a five-year waiting period on many Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), parolees, and immigrants protected under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), with exceptions for LPR children and severely disabled LPR adults (2002 Farm Bill, P.L. 107-171). Undocumented immigrants, individuals with Temporary Protected Status, U visa holders (victims of violence), and those with deferred action have never been eligible for SNAP. | Section 10012: Bars all legally present qualified immigrants who are not Lawful Permanent Residents from receiving SNAP, with limited exceptions for certain Cuban entrants and COFA citizens. This change excludes low-income immigrants who have long qualified for SNAP under the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, including individuals granted asylum or refugee status, those with withholding of deportation, Haitian entrants, humanitarian parolees, and conditional entrants. | Effective upon passage | $3,902 | Section 10108: Same as House proposal. | Effective upon passage | removes SNAP eligibility for several categories of lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, individuals granted asylum, and certain survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, or other humanitarian protections. These are among the most vulnerable individuals, often rebuilding their lives after crisis or persecution. |
| SNAP Education | Under 7 USC 2036a state agencies may provide nutrition education to help improve nutrition and prevent obesity | Section 10011: Dismantles the SNAP-Ed program | Effective upon passage | $5,470 | Section 10107: Same as House proposal. | Effective upon passage | Cuts off vital nutrition education and obesity prevention efforts that support nutritious food choices for families, especially children. |
| SNAP Issuance (Matching Fund Requirements) | Under 7 USC 2013, and since its establishment, SNAP has been funded 100% by the federal government. | Section 10006: For the first time in SNAP's history states would be required to contribute toward the cost of SNAP food benefits, not just administrative costs. The required match would be tied to each state's SNAP payment error rate. States with less than 6 percent error rate: 5 percent match; 6-8 percent: 15 percent match; 8-10 percent: 20 percent match; Over 10 percent: 25 percent match | Effective FY 2028 | $128,300 | Section 10105: Similar provision to the House proposal but different cost share responsibilities for the states: States with less than 6 percent error rate: 0 percent match; 6-8 percent: 5 percent match; 8-10 percent: 10 percent match; Over 10 percent: 15 percent match | Effective FY 2028 | Based on FY 2023 data, 28 states would fall into the 15 percent bracket, significantly increasing state financial responsibility and altering the current federal-state structure, where the federal government pays 100 percent of SNAP food benefits.It will force states to absorb additional costs or cut program eligibility. This undermines SNAP's role as a federally funded safety net that responds to economic need, especially during downturns. Higher state burdens could result in reduced access for eligible families. |
| Quality Control Zero Tolerance | Section 16(c)(1)(A)(ii) allows the Secretary to set a tolerance level for excluding small payment errors, up to a maximum of $37. | Section 10010: Proposes a $0 error rate threshold, which would artificially inflate the error rate. | Not in the Senate proposal. | ||||
| Thrifty Food Plan | Under 7 USC 2012(u), the Secretary would reevaluate the Thrifty Food Plan by 2022 and every 5 years after. The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to update the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit levels. In 2021, USDA completed the first update in 50 years, increasing benefits by an average of $1.40 per person per day to reflect modern nutrition and food costs. | Section 10001: The current proposal would block any future updates beyond inflation adjustments, effectively freezing benefit levels despite changing nutrition guidelines, food prices, or household needs. | Effective upon passage | $36,800 | Same as the House Proposal. | Effective upon passage | Prevents benefits from increasing alongside actual food costs, risking benefit erosion over time. |
| Utility Deduction Limits | 7 USC 2014 (e) utility deductions are available to eligible low-income households | Section 10004: Limits a state's ability to calculate shelter costs based on household eligibility for fuel assistance to only SNAP households with at least one member who is 60 or older or receiving disability benefits. Utility costs, or the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA), are a key factor in determining the monthly SNAP benefit amount. | Effective upon passage | $5,940 | Same | Effective upon passage | Reduces SNAP benefit amounts for families with low wages or limited incomes who struggle with high utility bills but do not meet the new eligibility criteria. This change ignores the real burden of utility costs on working families, particularly in high-cost-of-living states. |
