Politics
USDA Rule Would Strip SNAP Benefits from 6.3 Million, Including 1.8 Million Children
A proposed USDA rule would end broad-based categorical eligibility for SNAP, cutting food assistance for 6.3 million people and free school meals for 1.8 million children while saving $44.6 billion over five years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday proposed a rule that would eliminate automatic SNAP eligibility for millions of low-income households, a change the agency estimates would cut food stamp benefits for 6.3 million peopleânearly 18% of all recipientsâand strip 1.8 million children of free school lunches.
The proposal targets a policy known as broad-based categorical eligibility, which allows states to qualify households for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through their receipt of benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, such as child care assistance or workforce training, without applying SNAP's standard income and asset tests. Under the new rule, only households receiving cash assistance through TANF would automatically qualify; those receiving noncash or nominal TANF services would no longer be eligible.
The USDA said the change would save $44.6 billion between 2027 and 2031 and would standardize eligibility while "preserve benefits for the truly needy." The proposal is the latest in a series of administration efforts to curb SNAP spending, which officials have said are aimed at reducing waste and fraud.
The rule was released Monday and will be open for public comment for 30 days. It is not yet final.
Anti-hunger advocates have warned that broad-based categorical eligibility helps working families who earn slightly above SNAP's strict income cutoff but still struggle to afford food, and that tying eligibility to cash assistance would create a new bureaucratic hurdle for households already receiving other forms of public support. The loss of automatic SNAP eligibility would also affect children in those households who qualify for free school meals through the program, potentially increasing food insecurity for students during the school day.
The proposed cut comes as food banks and community organizations across the country report sustained high demand for assistance. In Georgia, where roughly one in eight residents participates in SNAP, local anti-poverty groups said the change would hit working families and rural communities hardest.
"This isn't about fraudâit's about making it harder for people who are already struggling to put food on the table," said a spokesperson for a statewide hunger relief organization, who asked not to be named because the group is still reviewing the rule. "Taking away school meals from 1.8 million children is a choice, not a necessity."
The public comment period offers the only formal opportunity for residents to weigh in before the rule can be finalized. Advocates are urging concerned citizens to submit comments through the federal register during the 30-day window.