States will soon be required to shoulder a substantially larger share of the cost of administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under changes enacted in President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending law.
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Beginning Oct. 1, the federal government’s contribution toward state SNAP administrative expenses will fall from 50 percent to 25 percent, leaving states responsible for the remaining 75 percent. The change was included in H.R. 1, commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed in July 2025.
Additional changes will eventually require states with higher SNAP payment error rates to contribute toward the cost of benefits themselves, shifting part of a program traditionally financed by the federal government onto state budgets.
States will get greater financial incentives to reduce improper payments and improve administration of the program. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has also defended tighter eligibility and work requirements, arguing government assistance should provide “a hand up, not a handout.”
Food assistance organizations, however, are urging Congress to delay portions of the law, warning that states need additional time to reduce error rates and prepare for higher expenses.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that more than 1.5 million children nationwide have lost SNAP assistance since the 2025 law was enacted. The organization attributes the decline in part to new eligibility and work requirements and state efforts to reduce payment errors.
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The law expanded work requirements for certain able-bodied adults and changed exemptions for some parents and caregivers.
States could face another financial challenge as the benefit-sharing provisions take effect. Their required contribution will depend on payment error rates, which measure both overpayments and underpayments.
Food banks in several states say they are already seeing increased demand as SNAP participation declines, raising concerns that private charities will be unable to replace assistance previously provided through the federal program.
Congress could still provide states additional time. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has backed legislation that would delay portions of the SNAP cost shift.
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