Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 — Ahead of Independence Day, when our country honors freedom and opportunity, Senate Republicans rushed to pass President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” advancing his agenda to dismantle critical supports for millions of people. In addition to extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and raising the federal debt ceiling by $5 trillion, the bill slashes billions of dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), imposes time limits, restricts program eligibility, and shifts unsustainable costs to the states. The Senate bill takes away food assistance from millions of people in need and undermines the very promise of opportunity this country celebrates.
FRAC and our national network have been working around the clock to sound the alarm on how this bill threatens the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and local economies. Lawmakers knew the stakes were high — they saw the data, heard the voices of working parents, grandparents, and older adults struggling to make ends meet, and the important role SNAP plays in helping to keep hunger at bay. Yet, they chose politics over people, passing the bill — with all Democrats, joined by three Republicans opposing — by 51–50, with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Calling today’s outcome disappointing doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s devastating.
This bill forces states with already overstretched budgets to make impossible trade-offs, such as reducing public services, raising taxes, or cutting SNAP access for some or all. Beginning in 2028, states will be required for the first time to cover a share of SNAP food benefits, in addition to shouldering increased administrative costs. This unprecedented cost-shift will require states to come up with millions of additional dollars to keep the program running. Twenty-three states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nebraska, and others are warning they may not be able to fully fund SNAP without major cuts to other critical programs if this bill becomes law.
The implications of this bill will not end with SNAP. Child nutrition programs such as school meals and Summer EBT will suffer as well, and in some states, that has already happened. Texas recently announced opting out of the Summer EBT Program in 2027, denying thousands of children critical food benefits during the summer because of concerns over upcoming state obligations to cover SNAP costs. Cuts to SNAP will also weaken the direct pathway to free school meals for many students, increase the administrative burden on schools, as they will be forced to process more school meal applications, and reduce the number of schools able to serve free meals to all their students through the Community Eligibility Provision.
The bill also expands time limits for adults, including parents of children ages 14 and older, and eliminates exemptions for caregivers. This only makes it harder for individuals, especially single parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren, older adults, and unpaid caregivers, to qualify for food assistance. While supporters of this bill claim these types of provisions promote work, they come with no funding for states to help people access jobs or training. Time limits make it harder for people with low incomes to access the benefits that they need, increase administrative burden and costs to state agencies, and disproportionately harm women and people of color in low-paying jobs. The bill also strips SNAP eligibility from some lawfully present immigrants, including asylees and refugees, who fled persecution and are trying to rebuild their lives from nothing.
Families will suffer, and so will our economy. 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 farmers to grocery stores. Without SNAP customers, retailers lose revenue, farmers take a hit, and grocery workers risk job loss. The loss of SNAP revenue could result in increased costs at grocery stores and store closures — at a time when food insecurity has increased three years in a row and grocery store prices are increasing faster than average.
The consequences are too serious to ignore. The House must reject this bill and instead protect SNAP and other 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.
