USDA Proposes Rule That Would Cut SNAP Food Aid for 6.3 Million People
The Agriculture Department proposed a rule that would end a route most states use to qualify households for food stamps, a change the agency estimates would remove 6.3 million people from the program by 2029.
The Agriculture Department published a proposed rule Tuesday that would narrow who qualifies for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food aid program known as food stamps. The department estimates that 6.3 million people in 3.2 million households would lose benefits by fiscal 2029, when the rule would reach its full effect. Federal spending on the program would fall by about $44.6 billion over fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
The proposal targets broad-based categorical eligibility, a policy that lets states qualify households for SNAP because they receive a benefit or service funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Under the change, only households receiving TANF assistance meant to meet ongoing basic needs would qualify that way. Nominal services, such as informational brochures, would no longer open a path to SNAP. The Congressional Research Service said 43 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands used the policy as of last June.
Income limits and asset tests
Federal SNAP rules generally cap gross income at 130 percent of the federal poverty level, with separate net income and asset tests. States using broad-based eligibility can set gross income limits as high as 200 percent of poverty and drop asset tests. The USDA said states have used the policy to expand eligibility beyond limits set by Congress, and the proposal would “preserve benefits for the truly needy.”
The effects would reach beyond grocery benefits. The USDA estimates that 1.78 million children would lose automatic eligibility for free school meals, although about 97 percent would still qualify for free or reduced-price meals through another process. The department also projects that 42,000 children could lose summer food benefits, and 5,500 women, infants and children could become ineligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
The rule is only a proposal. The USDA is taking public comments for 30 days before deciding whether to adopt the restrictions. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, called the rule “heartless and cruel” in a statement. The proposal follows the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, which expanded SNAP work requirements and narrowed other eligibility rules. More than 5.5 million people have already lost SNAP benefits under those changes, bringing enrollment to about 36 million, according to USDA data.
Reporting based on coverage by Newsmax, Reuters and Civil Eats.
