Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, President, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2025 — Instead of rushing to meet an arbitrary deadline, Senate Republicans must realize that there are no solutions for the deeply flawed provisions in the harmful budget bill and that the bill must be rejected. It is unfathomable that on the eve of America’s birthday, Senate Republicans are speeding to pass a budget bill that would take food, health care, and other benefits away from millions of children, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities. A time of celebration is being overshadowed by a dangerous agenda that would cause undue and generational harm to the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and our country.
The bill would slash billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and shift additional massive financial obligations to states while imposing punitive measures that would cut off food assistance to millions.
For the first time in SNAP’s history, starting in 2028, states would be required to contribute toward the cost of SNAP food benefits, in addition to absorbing increased administrative costs. This unprecedented shift would place immense strain on already overstretched state budgets and force state and local leaders to make impossible choices to fund SNAP: reduce public services, raise taxes, or cut SNAP access for some or all. Already, states like Texas have opted out of programs like Summer EBT, denying thousands of children critical food benefits during the summer because of concerns over state obligations to cover SNAP benefit costs. It’s unimaginable the number of children who would miss out on the nutrition they need if this harmful bill is passed.
The bill also would expand SNAP time limits by raising the age threshold from 54 to 64 and impose new time limits on parents of children 14 and older, mandating at least 20 hours of paid work per week to receive SNAP benefits. It would further restrict caregiving exemptions, making it harder for individuals, especially single parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren, older adults and unpaid caregivers, to qualify for food assistance. As a result, more people doing essential unpaid work or facing employment barriers would lose access to the food they need. Research shows that time limits are not effective at increasing employment and, instead, create more inefficiencies.
Public health would decline as access to nutrition would drop and the health consequences of hunger rise. The economy would take a hit. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates up to $1.80 in local economic activity during an economic downturn – helping everyone in the supply chain from the farmer to the grocery store. SNAP helps children grow up healthier, stay in school longer and earn more income as adults. Cutting off that support would mean greater hardship for families now, and long-term setbacks for America’s future.
The bill also would strip program access from some lawfully present immigrants, including asylees or refugees who rely on this temporary assistance as they rebuild their lives after fleeing persecution. This exclusion is especially cruel given that only 1.1 percent of SNAP recipients are refugees or asylees. Additionally, the bill would limit updates to the Thrifty Food Plan — the formula used to calculate monthly SNAP benefits — preventing it from reflecting the real cost of food. As prices continue to rise, this change would erode the value of SNAP benefits and make it harder for families to afford basic nutrition.
This is a moment of reckoning. It is unconscionable for Congress to advance tax breaks for billionaires while paying for them by cutting nutrition assistance and health care for millions. FRAC urges the Senate to reject this dangerous agenda and to instead protect SNAP and other essential programs that are critical to building a nation free from hunger.
###
The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.
