UP GOP lawmaker: Cash aid program is not 'just a flat out government handout'
A cash-assistance program for expectant moms and babies, which first began in Flint more than a year ago, is growing its reach to hundreds more families across Michigan.
Rx Kids, led by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna, began taking applications in Kalamazoo last week and will kick off in the eastern Upper Peninsula next month. So far, the Flint program has distributed more than $6 million to families — no strings attached. The program is among dozens across the country experimenting with providing direct cash payments to people with the greatest need. Bipartisan lawmakers from regions where the Rx Kids is slated to expand see promise in the program but say they remain alert, watching for how families benefit from getting cash in hand, to use as they see fit.
The premise is simple but the goal is ambitious: give expectant moms cash during a financially rocky time to eliminate infant poverty and boost economic stability. The program gives families $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 a month up to a year of the infant's life. Program participants in Flint reported spending the money on basics like baby supplies and food, and feeling more financially secure.
"We are improving the family's ability to keep a roof over their head, food on their table and care for their children. And Rx Kids is helping our families succeed at, really, the hardest job in the world, and that is being a parent," Hanna said during a Friday press conference announcing the expansion of the program to the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Rx Kids has so far raised about $100 million from public and private funders. Programs don't launch in communities without at least two years of funding. Last year, Rx Kids received $20 million from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to expand beyond Flint, from the southwest side of the state to its northernmost regions.
That's important, said Republican state Sen. John Damoose, who represents part of the UP and the northern Lower Peninsula: "A lot of times people forget the rural poor."
"There's a lot of need, certainly, in our big cities but there's also a lot of support systems that often don't exist in areas like ours and I can tell you, our people up here are suffering because of inflation, because of lack of services. They need some help," Damoose, whose district includes parts of Mackinac and Chippewa counties, said last month.
In Chippewa County — home to Michigan's oldest city, Sault Ste. Marie, and the Soo Locks — roughly 29% of children under 5 years old live below poverty. It's one of the counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula where Rx Kids is slated to expand. The other counties are Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft. High housing costs, a seasonal economy, a dearth of health care and miles between neighbors and services can make life in the Upper Peninsula challenging and unaffordable, Damoose said.
The UP program is estimated to cover about 600 babies a year. Pregnant moms and babies born after March 1 will be eligible for $1,500 mid-pregnancy and $500 a month for the first six months of the child's life. There are no income requirements. It's a shorter time period compared with Flint because of how much funding the program was able to raise, Hanna said.
More: Moms are getting cash each month to ease financial troubles. Does it work?
"I've had people who came up to me and said, 'Wait a second, you're a Republican and you're supporting a cash giveaway to parents.' Well, of course I am. This is a great idea," Damoose said during Friday's announcement.
Damoose has told the Free Press that he sees it as an innovative way to get help to people without bureaucratic hurdles. He's supportive of the program but will be watching for what the results bear out and how it runs.
"If we can look back and realize ... in the city of Sault Ste. Marie, we've helped out this number of mothers and children and young families, and it seems to be appropriate, then let's grow it a little bit," he said last month. "If we find that we're just pouring money down a black hole, let's pull it back or revise the program a little bit."
State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, said he likes the program because it supports families but thinks it should have income restrictions to "keep the costs in check" and ensure it runs for a long time. He also said support like this can encourage people to have more children and grow the state's population. Michigan's Upper Peninsula has seen population loss back-to-back in the past two decades, according to research from the Michigan Technological University.
"If a couple is considering whether or not to have children and the financial hardship is part of that calculation, this program can offset those concerns and give people hope that they can indeed afford to have more children and raise a family," McBroom said.
In Kalamazoo, where nearly a third of kids under 5 years old live below poverty, applications for Rx Kids opened Feb. 12 for expectant moms and babies born on or after Feb. 1. Just like in Flint, Kalamazoo's version of the program will offer $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 the first 12 months of the infant's life. As as Friday, the Kalamazoo program had received more than 200 applications.
"There's just so many people living on the margins and Kalamazoo is resource rich, but sometimes people don't understand how to navigate all the different assistance programs," said Democratic state Rep. Julie Rogers, whose district includes the city of Kalamazoo.
More: Program providing $7,500 for Flint moms and babies expected to expand across Michigan
Rogers pointed to a significant ALICE population in Kalamazoo. The United Way's ALICE measure — which stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed — considers households earning above the federal poverty level but still struggling to afford the basics. In Kalamazoo County, 39% of households fell below the ALICE threshold.
"We are trusting mothers, we are trusting families to decide what is best for them and their family and situation," Rogers said. "So, instead of the government being prescriptive and telling people how to spend the money, we're giving them the cash assistance with pretty much a blank slate of, they can choose and decide."
To measure success, bipartisan lawmakers are watching for a range of outcomes, from increased birth rates and school enrollment to improvements in child development and health.
Rogers said she's "cautiously optimistic" about the Rx Kids program as a pilot, and wants to see the data from participating communities. Damoose, Rogers and state Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, said they would consider more public dollars to go toward the program in the future.
Damoose said Rx Kids doesn't necessarily fit into a "Republican orthodoxy," since it involves government giving cash to people in need, but he supports the effort because he is "very pro-family."
"I can have a real role in helping to convince Republican lawmakers to at least understand the benefits and how it fits within our sort of preconceived notions, if you will. Because I've got to dispel the idea that this is just a flat out government handout," Damoose said.
McBroom said there's support from his Republican colleagues to strengthen families, but questions remain on the long term sustainability.
"Where we put our money shows some of our values as a society. It shows what things we need to incentivize. Sometimes we're incentivizing particular behaviors and actions. In this case, I see us believing that we need as a society to increase children. We need to increase population. And so, I think it's valuable for us to put our money towards that endeavor," he said.
Back in Flint where Rx Kids first began, more than 1,400 families have so far enrolled in the program. Cherry said starting in the city which he represents, Flint, was a good call because of its high concentration of poverty, but it shouldn't stop there.
"The goal is not for it to end at Flint," he said. "The goal is: we want to make sure that we're helping all these mothers and babies."
Hanna said programs in Wayne County and Oakland County communities will likely go live later this year.
City of Kalamazoo: Applications opened Feb. 12 for expectant moms and babies born on or after Feb. 1. People can sign up while pregnant or until a baby is six months old. The Kalamazoo program will offer $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 the first year of the infant's life.
Eastern Upper Peninsula (Chippewa, Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce and Mackinac Counties): Expectant moms or babies born on or after March 1 are eligible. Applications will open March 3. Expectant moms can get $1,500 mid-pregnancy and $500 for the first 6 months of the infant's life.
Expectant mothers must live in the areas where the program is running. To learn more, go to rxkids.org/.
This story was produced as part of a series for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism's 2024 Data Fellowship.
Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @NushratR.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmakers see promise in aid program. Where it's expanding.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
IRA incentive boosters take to the airwaves
Presented by Recycled Materials Association With Daniel Lippman AD BLITZ: Advocacy groups and trade associations continue pouring money into advertising to support various priorities in the reconciliation bill. Two new campaigns launched this week to support the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy incentives alone. — They include a six-figure ad blitz from Advanced Energy United, a coalition made up of energy stakeholders and tech companies that is targeting Republican senators the group sees as winnable on the issue of protecting the IRA tax credits. — The digital campaign, the details of which were shared exclusively with PI, will target constituents of Sens. Todd Young (Ind.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Dave McCormick (Pa.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) with display and Facebook ads touting the economic benefits of the IRA incentives in their respective states. The ads will also run inside the Beltway to target Hill staffers. — The ad buy will be accompanied by a letter campaign from local energy companies urging senators like Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to protect the clean energy incentives. It follows a similar campaign on the House side by the coalition, whose members include NRG, Microsoft, Blink, Rivian, Oracle, Carrier and Ford. — A second new campaign to save the IRA provisions is focused on persuading President Donald Trump (or at least his inner circle). The $2 million ad buy from GOP-led Built for America will run over the next three weeks on platforms closely watched by Trump and his allies, including on Fox News, Truth Social and various conservative podcasts. — The 30-second spot borrows Trump's own language to make the case against gutting the tax credits, contending that 'Trump country is booming' thanks to the incentives, which are helping put 'America first.' — The Association of Equipment Manufacturers is also out with a new nationwide ad buy supporting the reconciliation bill's tax extensions specifically, with a minute-long ad arguing that the bill would keep equipment manufacturers in America by providing certainty to make investments. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Send tips. You can add me on Signal, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. FIRST IN PI — FLANAGAN'S CORPORATE MONEY FLIP-FLOP: Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who's running for an open U.S. Senate seat, has made rejecting corporate money a major part of her campaign platform. But she accepted millions of dollars in corporate cash on behalf of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association when she was its chair, Daniel reports. — Flanagan's launch video said she wouldn't take 'one dime from corporate interests.' In April, she said in a video on X that 'taking corporate money is a choice' and she is 'not taking money from corporations and I never will.' — But Flanagan helped raise more than $2 million in corporate money last year when she was chair of the DLGA. That included half a million dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, almost $300,000 from the tech industry and around $100,000 from the tobacco industry, according to a PI analysis of FEC records. — And even as Flanagan says her campaign won't take corporate cash, NOTUS reported last week that DLGA plans to spend big to support lieutenant governors like Flanagan who are running in open primaries and has already maxed out in direct contributions to her campaign — meaning that at least some of that money could have come from corporations. — Flanagan is facing Rep. Angie Craig (D) in the campaign to fill the Senate seat of Sen. Tina Smith (D), who's retiring. Before joining Congress, Craig, as part of her private-sector job, ran a corporate PAC that gave to many prominent Republicans. Last cycle, she was the 12th-largest recipient among House Democrats of money from corporate PACs, taking $1.3 million from them during that time, according to OpenSecrets. — 'Peggy is the only candidate in this race to reject corporate PAC money,' campaign spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said in a statement to PI. 'This is a transparent attempt to distract from Angie Craig's continued funding from big corporations like Elon Musk's SpaceX. People want leaders who are willing to take a stand and make the choice to only be beholden to their constituents. Only Peggy has made that choice.' QUIGLEY CHIEF HEADED DOWNTOWN: Allison Jarus has left the Hill after 12 years to join Arnold & Porter as a policy adviser. Jarus spent the past decade working for Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), most recently as his chief of staff. — Jarus helped handle Quigley's work on the House Appropriations Committee and was a key architect of the 2021 legislation to increase access for experimental treatments for ALS patients. Before joining Quigley's office, she worked for Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). FLYING SOLO: 'Lobbyists usually run in herds at bipartisan firms, but a slice of K Street takes a lone-wolf approach to the influence game,' Bloomberg's Kate Ackley reports. 'Those who opt to go it alone say it makes for a leaner, more nimble operation, reduces potential client conflicts, and gives them control over how they operate the business.' — 'In good times, a single-lobbyist enterprise can rake in big money that the rainmaker doesn't have to share. But risks abound. … Solo lobbying firms are more vulnerable to the whims of elections, and often rise or fall on which policy fights are hot at the moment. The presidential transition and flip in control of the Senate can ripple into K Street bottom lines, with one-person firms especially susceptible.' — Still, 'more than 50 solo shops reported revenue of $1 million or more last year, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis of federal lobbying disclosures, accounting for nearly $80 million in fees.' INSIDERS, TRADING: 'As markets tanked in the wake of President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs in early April, members of Congress and their families made hundreds of stock trades, shining a spotlight on a controversial practice that some lawmakers have pushed to ban,' according to the Wall Street Journal's Katy Stech Ferek, Jack Gillum, James Benedict and Gunjan Banerji. — 'From April 2, when Trump launched the sweeping tariffs, to April 8, the day before he paused many of them, more than a dozen House lawmakers and their family members made more than 700 stock trades, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of disclosure filings.' FLY-IN SZN: A handful of health care groups headed to the Hill today, including the Children's Hospital Association, which focused on urging lawmakers to strengthen Medicaid, grow the pediatric health care workforce and address the mental health crisis among youth. Kidney Care Partners also trekked up Pennsylvania Avenue to lobby for improved access and coverage for those with kidney failure. — Advocates with the American Telemedicine Association were in town as well to advocate for the industry's top priorities, which include making permanent various telehealth permissions and expanding coverage for telehealth services, including prescription digital therapeutics and virtual medical nutritionists. The trade group was slated to meet with more than 40 offices on the Hill, including leaders in the House and Senate and on key committees. — And more than 1,000 homebuilders were fanning out across Washington for a fly-in focused on several priorities of the National Association of Home Builders, including loosening energy standards for new homes and addressing workforce shortages. — Tax policy was also expected to be front of mind in the group's more than 250 meetings on the Hill and with the Trump administration: NAHB is pushing for an expanded low-income housing tax credit, fewer SALT cap restrictions and the preservation of clean energy tax credits. — Leaders from the convenience services industry will be on the Hill tomorrow, but the National Automatic Merchandising Association will kick off the fun with a pop-up micro market at tonight's Congressional Baseball Game. SPOTTED at a reception hosted by the Alpine Group celebrating the recent opening of the firm's new Dallas-Fort Worth outpost, per a tipster: Keenan Austin Reed, Barry Brown, Rhod Shaw and Greg Walden of Alpine Group; Pat Shortridge of TrailRunner International; Stewart Hall of PPHC; Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Marc Veasey (R-Texas), Brandon Gill (R-Texas) and Jodey Arrington (R-Texas); Katie Vincentz and Russell Thomasson of Arrington's office; Andrew Leppert of Gill's office; Ryan Dilworth and Brayden Woods of Van Duyne's office; Tasia Jackson of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' office; Mark Longoria of Rep. Michael Cloud's (R-Texas) office; Matt Esguerra of Rep. Lance Gooden's (R-Texas) office; Karen Navarro of Rep. Monica De La Cruz's (R-Texas) office; Raven Reeder of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-D.C.) office; Hayden Upchurch of Rep. Nathaniel Moran's (R-Texas) office; Jianna Covarelli of Cornyn's office; Emily Stipe of Vistra Corp.; Nick D'Angelo of Eaton Corp.; and Drew Wayne of Siemens. Jobs report — Doug Sellers has joined the advisory board at BGR Group. He's a senior counselor at Palantir and was a special assistant to Trump during his first term and served as White House associate staff secretary. — Adam Minehardt is joining Chainlink Labs as head of public policy. He was previously a principal at FS Vector. — Connor Rabb has joined the National Association of Manufacturers as senior director of tax policy. He was previously a legislative assistant for Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa). — Sabrina Singh is joining Seven Letter as a partner. She most recently was deputy press secretary at the Defense Department and is a Kamala Harris alum. — Tom Corry is joining Rubrum Advising to launch a government affairs practice at the firm. He was most recently managing director of Corry Advisors and was previously assistant secretary for public affairs at HHS and senior adviser to former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma. — Jennifer Short has joined Capital Park Partners as an adviser. She was most recently a senior military assistant to the secretary of Defense in both the Biden and Trump administrations and is an Air Force veteran. — Sam Varie is joining the Australian Embassy as U.S. media and external relations manager. Varie was previously communications director for Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.). — Karina Lubell will be a partner at Brunswick Group. She previously led the competition policy and advocacy section at DOJ's Antitrust Division. — Ashley Moir has launched Ashley Moir Media, a PR company with booking services, media training and comms strategy. She most recently was director of national broadcast operations at Deploy/US and is a former senior booker at Fox News. — Gopal Das Varma is now a vice president at Cornerstone Research. He previously was vice president at Charles River Associates and is a DOJ Antitrust Division alum. — Allison Rivera will be vice president for government and industry affairs at the National Grain and Feed Association. She most recently was executive director of government affairs at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. — Steven Ferenczy has joined the American Council of Life Insurers as assistant vice president for paid leave policy and implementation. He was previously a first vice president and compliance consultant at Alliant. — Richard Johnson has joined OpenAI as its national security risk mitigation lead, Morning Defense reports. He was previously DOD deputy assistant secretary for nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction policy. — Joseph Humire is now a deputy assistant secretary of Defense for policy, per MD. He was previously executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society and a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute and Heritage Foundation. New Joint Fundraisers Team Coughlin (Coughlin for Congress, One Country, One Destiny PAC) New PACs AMERICANS READY TO WORK PAC (Super PAC) Cohabitate PAC (PAC) Empire State Patriots PAC (PAC) PATIENTS RISING PAC (PAC) Reengineer NJ PAC Inc. (Super PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Alston & Bird LLP: Performance Health Atlas Crossing LLC: Trinity University Capitol Counsel LLC: Boviet Solar USa Capitol Resources, LLC: The Federation Of Korean Industries Coreweave, Inc.: Coreweave, Inc. Dc Advocacy, LLC: Konecranes Finland Corp. Dc Advocacy, LLC: Logistec Marine Services Ulc Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Six Continents Hotels, Inc. Franklin Square Group, LLC: Fiat Chain Holdings LLC Holland & Knight LLP: Wood Mackenzie Invariant LLC: Oldendorff Carriers USa, Inc. King & Spalding LLP: Lifegift Kyowa Kirin, Inc: Kyowa Kirin, Inc Leavitt Partners, LLC: Orchard Therapeutics North America Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Novant Health, Inc. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP: Flashpoint Intelligence Polsinelli Pc: Clairity, Inc. Resolution Public Affairs, LLC: Jp Morgan Chase Holdings Rutledge Policy Group, LLC: Brownstein (Bhfs, LLP) Obo Apollo Global Management Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC: Popp Forest Products Inc. Stapleton & Associates, LLC: Intellisense Systems, Inc. Steptoe LLP: Early Warning Services, LLC Stoick Consulting, LLC: Resident Home, Inc. Sullivan Strategies LLC (Fka Sb Capitol Solutions): Vontier Business Services, LLC New Lobbying Terminations Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Vector Group Ltd
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Missouri approves stadium aid for Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and disaster relief for St. Louis
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars of financial aid to try to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to remain in the state and help the St. Louis area recover from a devastating tornado. House passage sends the legislative package to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who called lawmakers into special session with a plea for urgent action. Kehoe is expected to sign the measures into law. Missouri's session paired two otherwise unrelated national trends — a movement for new taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and a reevaluation of states' roles in natural disasters as President Donald Trump's administration reassess federal aid programs. The stadium subsidies already were a top concern in Missouri when a deadly tornado struck St. Louis on May 16, causing an estimated $1.6 billion of damage a day after lawmakers had wrapped up work in their annual regular session. The disaster relief had widespread support. Lawmakers listened attentively on Wednesday as Democratic state Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins described with a cracking voice how she witnessed the tornado rip the roof off her house and damage her St. Louis neighborhood. Collins said she has no home insurance, slept in her car for days and has accepted food from others. 'Homes are crumbled and leveled,' said Collins, adding: 'It hurts me to my core to see the families that have worked so hard, the businesses that have worked so hard, to see them ripped apart.' Lawmakers approved $100 million of open-ended aid for St. Louis and $25 million for emergency housing assistance in any areas covered under requests for presidential disaster declarations. They also authorized a $5,000 income tax credit to offset insurance policy deductibles for homeowners and renters hit by this year's storms — a provision that state budget director Dan Haug said could eventually cost up to $600 million. The Chiefs and Royals currently play football and baseball in side-by-side stadiums in Jackson County, Missouri, under leases that expire in January 2031. Jackson County voters last year defeated a sales tax extension that would have helped finance an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City. That prompted lawmakers in neighboring Kansas last year to authorize bonds for up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums in Kansas to lure the teams to their state. The Royals have bought a mortgage for property in Kansas, though the team also has continued to pursue other possible sites in Missouri. The Kansas offer is scheduled to expire June 30, creating urgency for Missouri to approve a counteroffer. Missouri's legislation authorizes bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments. If they choose to stay in Missouri, the Chiefs plan a $1.15 billion renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs, in a statement to The Associated Press, described the legislative vote as a 'significant step forward' that enables the team to continue exploring options to remain in Missouri. The Royals described the legislation as 'a very important piece of our decision-making process" but made no site-specific commitment. 'Our focus remains the same: to prioritize the best interests of our team, fans, partners and regional community as we pursue the next generational home for the Kansas City Royals,' the team said in a statement to the AP. Though they have no specific plans in the works, the St. Louis Cardinals also would be eligible for stadium aid if they undertake a project of at least $500 million. Many economists contend public funding for stadiums isn't worth it, because sports tend to divert discretionary spending away from other forms of entertainment rather than generate new income. But supporters said Missouri stands to lose millions of dollars of tax revenue if Kansas City's most prominent professional sports teams move to Kansas. They said Missouri's reputation also would take a hit, particularly if it loses the Chiefs, which have won three of the past six Super Bowls. 'We have the chance to maybe save what is the symbol of this state,' Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican from St. Louis County, said while illustrating cross-state support for the measure. The legislation faced some bipartisan pushback from those who described it as a subsidy for wealthy sports team owners. Others raised concerns that a property tax break for homeowners, which was added in the Senate to gain votes, violates the state constitution by providing different levels of tax relief in various counties while excluding others entirely. 'This bill is unconstitutional, it's fiscally reckless, it's morally wrong," said Republican state Rep. Bryant Wolfin. ___ Associated Press writer Dave Skretta contributed from Kansas City, Missouri.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Senate GOP Seeks to Scale Back Food Aid Cuts in Trump Tax Bill
(Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans plan to scale back cuts to federal food aid for the poor that their counterparts in the House used to help pay for Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, a key senator said Wednesday. Trump's Military Parade Has Washington Bracing for Tanks and Weaponry Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future NYC Renters Brace for Price Hikes After Broker-Fee Ban NY Long Island Rail Service Resumes After Grand Central Fire NYC Mayoral Candidates All Agree on Building More Housing. But Where? The Senate version of the tax legislation would exempt states that keep their food stamp payment error rates low from a new cost-shifting provision House Republican imposed requiring state governments to cover as much as a quarter of the cost of federal food stamps received by their residents, Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman said. Boozman, whose committee has jurisdiction over portions of the legislation covering federal food aid and farm subsidies, said the Senate version also would exempt parents of children younger than 10 years old from work requirements for food assistance. The House version of the tax bill imposes work requirements on parents once their children turn 7 years old. The House version of the legislation would require states to pay between 5% and 25% of the cost of benefits their residents receive through federal food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. States with lower payment error rates would pay a smaller share of food stamp costs. The new requirements for SNAP will be delayed to 2028 to give states time to adjust, Boozman said. The Senate version would exempt states with a payment error rate below 6% from the cost-sharing requirement, Boozman said. Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee considered the House version too burdensome on states, the Arkansas senator said. New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software American Mid: Hampton Inn's Good-Enough Formula for World Domination The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data