Administration cuts SNAP benefits deeper than necessary, analysis finds
The administration is withholding about one-third of available SNAP contingency funds.
USDA’s latest plan will slash food aid for low-income families by roughly 35% in November — far steeper than needed, according to a new analysis.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) says the administration is withholding about one-third of available SNAP contingency funds.
Millions of households will see drastic benefit reductions, and nearly 5 million people could receive no aid at all.
Administration holds back billions in SNAP funds
The Trump Administration will spend only about two-thirds of the funds it says are available to sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing federal shutdown, a new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) found. The move will result in deeper cuts to food benefits for millions of low-income households — reductions the group says are “far more than necessary.”
According to the USDA’s own estimates, roughly $4.65 billion in SNAP contingency funds are available for November benefits. But the department’s spending plan will distribute just $3 billion of that amount, the CBPP reported. That decision means average benefits will be cut by about 61%, compared with the 43% reduction that would have been sufficient to stay within available funding.
Millions to receive little or nothing
Under the plan, nearly 1.2 million SNAP households — about 4.9 million people, or one in nine recipients — will receive no benefits at all because their regular monthly aid is smaller than the reduction being imposed. Another 5.4 million one- and two-person households will receive only a token $12 for the month, half the usual minimum benefit.
Larger families with children are hit hardest. Because SNAP benefits are calculated by subtracting 30% of a household’s income from the maximum allotment, cutting that maximum by 50% translates to much steeper losses for most participants. For instance, a single parent with two children and $900 in monthly income would see their benefit drop from $515 to just $122 — a 75% reduction.
Critics say cuts were avoidable
CBPP and other advocates note that the courts have already affirmed the administration’s authority to shift funds from other food assistance programs, such as WIC, to fully fund SNAP benefits during the shutdown — a step the USDA has taken before. The think tank said that by choosing not to do so and by withholding part of the contingency fund, the administration “has once again gone out of its way to inflict further harm on low-income families.”
The USDA issued revised guidance to states late on November 5, reducing the planned benefit cut from 50% to 35% — a change more consistent with CBPP’s calculations of what would be needed to stay within available funds. Still, the unprecedented move to issue partial benefits poses operational challenges for states and could delay the delivery of aid to millions struggling to afford food.