Published on September 5, 2025
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Republican-led budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1), representing one of the most far-reaching overhauls of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in its history. While proponents framed H.R. 1 as a measure to curb spending and tighten program rules, the law makes deep cuts to SNAP and fundamentally shifts additional financial responsibilities to states while extending tax breaks to billionaires. The law slashes benefits, expands harsh time limits, eliminates eligibility for many humanitarian immigrants, caps future benefit increases, and shifts massive new costs to states. It also ends federal funding for SNAP-Ed.
The reality is stark: Millions of Americans with low incomes — including caregivers, veterans, older adults, and people experiencing homelessness — will face greater hardship under H.R. 1. States, counties, and local agencies will carry new fiscal and administrative burdens at the very moment when communities need more support.
Together, these changes will increase hunger, push more families into poverty, and strain already stretched state and county budgets. While the design is federal, the fallout will be local — and it will be up to states, advocates, and community partners to mitigate harm.
Actions Advocates and States Should Take Now
As states begin implementing the provisions, there is no time to lose. H.R. 1 is a package of cuts that will reduce benefits for families, children, older adults, and people with disabilities while shifting billions in costs to states. Here are steps to prepare, mobilize, and strengthen the case for restoration of SNAP:
- Work with State Agencies to Push USDA for Clear Guidance
USDA guidance to date largely repeats statutory text and fails to clarify key issues, including implementation dates. Urge state agencies to press their U. S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service regional offices for clarity, especially regarding when states will be held harmless for quality control (QC) purposes. - Map the Impact of Cuts
Push back against the false narrative that there are no cuts. H.R. 1 reduces benefits for families, expands time limits, freezes reevaluations, weakens the Thrifty Food Plan, and strips humanitarian-based immigrant eligibility. Everyone — from households with children to local retailers — will feel the impact. Take a page from California, which has held public webinars to explain how H.R. 1 harms SNAP, Medicaid, and other critical programs. Use similar platforms to highlight the harm in your own state. - Track Waiver Expirations
H.R. 1 expands time limits, but many states currently have waivers for high- unemployment or insufficient-job areas. Identify when your state’s waivers are set to expire and press agencies to communicate clearly with SNAP participants. Advocates can also prepare public education campaigns so families are not blindsided when exemptions end. - Protect People From Time Limits
Work with state agencies to identify populations at risk: adults 18–64, caregivers of children 14 and older, veterans, youth aging out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness. Connect them to community organizations and legal advocates now. Press agencies to simplify exemption processes (i.e., for medical conditions, caregiving, unfitness for work, or treatment participation), train staff, and ensure outreach workers know how to assist people in documenting their eligibility. Also work with community-based organizations to track these populations and help identify exemptions that harmed individuals may be eligible for before they are cut off from benefits. - Educate Local Leaders and Employers
City councils, county governments, and chambers of commerce will see the fallout firsthand: more food pantry demand, overstretched social services, and declining consumer spending. Brief these leaders and position them as allies who can track harm, collaborate with community organizations and advocates, and press state and federal policymakers to act. Encourage employers to highlight workforce impacts and speak publicly about lost purchasing power. - Support Humanitarian Immigrants
H.R. 1 strips SNAP eligibility from groups long considered “qualified,” including refugees, asylees, and survivors of trafficking. Partner with immigrant-serving organizations and legal aid to help families update their immigration status (for example, transitioning from asylee to lawful permanent resident) where possible. Provide clear information in multiple languages so families understand their changing eligibility and know their legal options. - Engage State Legislators and Budget Officers
H.R. 1 increases administrative costs to the states and, for the first time in history, shifts SNAP benefit costs to states. Hold educational briefings with state legislators, especially those on budget and appropriations committees, so they fully understand the fiscal and human impact. Equip them with district-specific data on how SNAP supports constituents and ensure that they will prioritize SNAP. Partner with state budget officers to model the fiscal impact and stress the need for sufficient funding to maintain access, accuracy, and timeliness. - Collaborate With Retailers and Farmers
Cuts to SNAP will ripple through grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and supply chains, especially in rural areas and small towns where food retailers depend heavily on SNAP sales. Partner with retailers to document revenue losses and amplify their voices in policy debates. Farmers and producers can also be strong messengers about the harm to local economies. - Coordinate With Health Advocates
Many of the same individuals losing SNAP will also be navigating changes in Medicaid and other support programs. Build partnerships with health providers, disability advocates, and mental health organizations to align messaging, share data, and track harm. Joint advocacy will strengthen calls for restoring benefits and highlight the connections between food insecurity, poor health, and rising health care costs. - Secure Administrative Resources
With states covering 75 percent of administrative costs starting in fiscal year 2027, advocates must press for sufficient staffing, technology, and training to prevent wrongful denials and delays. Timeliness affects both client access and error rates. Work with legislators now to ensure that SNAP agencies have the necessary resources to meet federal standards without harming families. - Document and Share Harm — and Sound the Alarm
Capture the harm of these cuts in real time: SNAP-Ed layoffs, longer wait times, families losing heat assistance deductions, and benefits that no longer rise with food costs. Share stories from families, retailers, and providers. Hold press briefings, place op-eds and letters to the editor, and use FRAC’s tools and talking points to amplify impact. Remind the public that for every meal food banks provide, SNAP provides nine; charity cannot replace federal responsibility. - 12. Connect the Dots to Child Nutrition Programs
Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid will ripple into WIC and school meals, threatening children’s health and learning. Hundreds of thousands of infants and young children risk losing automatic eligibility for WIC through adjunctive eligibility, while cuts to SNAP will jeopardize students’ direct certification for free school meals and limit schools’ ability to implement the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows schools to offer free school meals to all students. Advocates should show how SNAP cuts undermine child nutrition broadly, from babies to school-aged children, and push states to adopt program flexibilities (like remote WIC certifications) and strengthen CEP uptake. Messaging that ties SNAP restoration to children’s nutrition, education, and health is especially powerful with policymakers and the public.
Take Action: Restore SNAP Benefits
H.R. 1 fundamentally reshapes SNAP in ways that increase hardship and shift costs to states. By acting now — both in local preparation and in national advocacy — we can protect families, strengthen communities, and fight to restore the nation’s most effective anti-hunger program.
Advocacy must remain focused on reversing these cuts. The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025 is the key legislative vehicle to undo the damage caused by H.R. 1and protect the effectiveness of SNAP
- Organizations — Sign and share the FRAC and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities letter urging Members of Congress to cosponsor the Restoring Food Security Act. The deadline to sign is September 17, 2025.
- Individuals — Use this link to send a pre-populated email to your Members of Congress, urging them to oppose any Farm Bill that fails to restore recent SNAP cuts.
If enacted, the Restoring Food Security Act would reestablish SNAP’s federal guarantee, restore eligibility for vulnerable groups, and prevent states from shouldering unsustainable costs. Without it, millions will face deepened poverty and hunger, while states and communities bear the fallout.