How SNAP Benefits Are Impacted by Trump's Tax Bill: What to Know

Newsweek

5 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
House Republicans have advanced a sweeping tax and spending bill backed by President Donald Trump that makes significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
The bill—the One Big Beautiful Act—passed the House by a narrow 215–214 vote and is now headed to the Senate, where revisions are expected.
If enacted, the measures would mark a major shift in eligibility and administrative rules for the country's largest anti-hunger program.
Why It Matters
More than 40 million low-income Americans rely on SNAP to help pay for groceries each month. The changes proposed in the Trump-supported bill reflect broader Republican goals to tighten eligibility, reduce federal spending and increase work requirements for federal food assistance.
While the legislation also aims to cut taxes and simplify rules for retirees and workers, critics warn the SNAP provisions could leave vulnerable recipients—especially childless adults and those without full-time work—at risk of losing access to essential food support.
What to Know
The bill includes the following SNAP-related provisions:
Increased state financial responsibility : States would be required to contribute more funds to support SNAP, shifting part of the cost burden from the federal government to state budgets.
: States would be required to contribute more funds to support SNAP, shifting part of the cost burden from the federal government to state budgets. Expanded work requirements : The bill would require more SNAP recipients to work in order to maintain eligibility. Specifically, it increases the age cap at which work requirements end from 54 to 64 years old. Able-bodied adults without dependents would be subject to these rules unless they meet other exemptions. Only parents with children under age 7 would be exempt from the work requirements, a significant change from the current exemption for parents with children under 18.
: The bill would require more SNAP recipients to work in order to maintain eligibility. Specifically, it increases the age cap at which work requirements end from 54 to 64 years old. Able-bodied adults without dependents would be subject to these rules unless they meet other exemptions. Only parents with children under age 7 would be exempt from the work requirements, a significant change from the current exemption for parents with children under 18. Reduced state exemptions : The legislation limits states' ability to exempt individuals from federal SNAP work requirements.
: The legislation limits states' ability to exempt individuals from federal SNAP work requirements. No changes to benefit amounts or maximum eligibility thresholds were specified in the bill, but administrative changes could affect how and when recipients qualify.
These SNAP reforms are intended to partially offset revenue losses from the bill's expanded tax deductions, including higher standard deductions for older Americans and the elimination of taxes on overtime and tips.
Stock image/file photo: Man shopping for groceries in a store.
Stock image/file photo: Man shopping for groceries in a store.
GETTY
Policy and poverty experts have said the bill could be devastating for SNAP recipients. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, said the passage of the bill would constitute "by far the largest cut to SNAP in history"—with some 7 million recipients possibly seeing reduction or total loss of their benefits.
The Congressional Budget Office has said that while it will reduce federal spending on SNAP to $76.6 billion in 2034, down from a baseline projection of $115.8 billion, recipients would see an average reduction of SNAP benefits of $15 dollars per month by 2034 for every single SNAP participant
What People Are Saying
President Trump has not commented directly on the SNAP provisions, but he framed the broader legislation as a necessary reset. "It's time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" he wrote on Truth Social.
Democrats have been outspoken in their criticism. Those on the House Agriculture Committee said the bill is "irresponsible" and poses an "immense threat" to "food assistance for vulnerable seniors, children, working families, veterans, and Americans with disabilities."
Jennifer Greenfield, associate professor at University of Denver who specializes in the intersection of health and wealth disparities, told Newsweek: "The proposed federal "savings" are not savings at all—it's a shift of the costs to our already cash-strapped states and families. The net result will be to increase hunger and financial instability among households with children, older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans—while also sending tens of thousands of people into unemployment."
What's Next
The Senate is expected to negotiate revisions to several parts of the legislation, including the SNAP work requirement provisions, before any final vote. If changes are made, the bill will return to the House for another vote.