​SNAP Update: How could food benefits change under the Trump administration? 

CONNOR REID
04/02/2025
–
13:50
CSTDonald Trump has promised radical changes to numerous government programs after winning the 2024 presidential election, including the renowned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).The program, formerly known as Food Stamps, administers millions of needy Americans each month, and could undergo several changes under the new administration as Republican lawmakers propose a series of changes to the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.SNAP benefits are administered nationwide to low- or no-income households that would otherwise struggle to buy food.In 2023, the program served an average of 42.1 million people per month, or 12.6 percent of U.S. residents.While it is a lifeline for Americans struggling to make ends meet, Republicans have also lamented its cost.Historic reveal! Trump signs order to declassify JFK, RFK, and MLK filesIn fiscal year 2022, the government spent $119.4 billion on SNAP, according to the Pew Research Center. Some $113.9 billion was paid in benefits, while $5.5 billion was used for administrative and other costs, according to Newsweek.Republicans have broad plans for the SNAP program, primarily aimed at reducing its overall cost as well as addressing health issues.They also promoted changes to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), the formula used by the Department of Agriculture to calculate benefit amounts.According to a memo submitted by House Republicans, lawmakers plan to undo former President Joe Biden’s expansion of the TFP, which led to a 23% increase in SNAP benefits in 2021.It provided periodic updates on how much SNAP recipients can receive outside of inflation.Republicans want to eliminate this amendment to the TFP, which would reduce the purchasing power of SNAP benefits in the long term. They say Biden’s decision, implemented without congressional review, violated the 1996 Congressional Review Act.Under current law, states can use something called broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE) to provide SNAP benefits to people who would not otherwise be eligible. This policy allows people who receive assistance from programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to automatically enroll in SNAP.The Republican budget recommends eliminating BBCE, “because some TANF services are available to households with incomes higher than those eligible for SNAP, states can allow individuals to enroll in SNAP without meeting federal eligibility criteria for assets, income or both.”Under current USDA rules, benefits are awarded based on the number of eligible beneficiaries living in a household. Republicans are planning to limit the maximum SNAP benefit per household to a family of six.This means that the maximum amount available, according to current benefit rules, would be $1,390 per month for households with more than six members.As it stands, to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months in three consecutive years, healthy beneficiaries aged 18 to 54 must demonstrate that