“This move by the Trump administration to take food assistance away from millions more elderly Americans and children is heartless and cruel,” House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig said in a statement.
The Minnesota Democrat released the critique in response to a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture aimed at eliminating broad-based categorical eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The policy change would dismantle an option that currently allows states to streamline enrollment. Under the existing framework, individuals who qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or similar state benefits can automatically meet income guidelines for SNAP because requirements overlap. Currently, 46 states use this option to administer nutrition aid, according to federal data.
An estimated 6.3 million individuals across 3.2 million households will lose their SNAP benefits entirely under the shift, according to the Trump administration’s regulatory impact analysis. Those impacted households represent 17 percent of all participants in the program. Total SNAP benefits would drop by $50.82 billion.
Federal spending on benefits will decrease by $44.65 billion over a five-year window spanning fiscal years 2027 through 2031. State spending on benefits will fall by $6.17 billion during the same period. Conversely, administrative expenses for the nutrition program will climb by $1.24 billion overall.
Because safety-net programs frequently share verification steps, the regulatory rollback extends beyond standard grocery assistance. A total of 1.78 million children will lose automatic categorical eligibility for school meals. Of those students, 97 percent will likely remain technically eligible but must complete an onerous paperwork process to keep their status.
The transition will shift 93,000 children from free school meals to reduced-price tiers, while 28,000 children will lose free meals entirely and pay full price. Additionally, 42,000 children will stop receiving Summer EBT benefits beginning in the summer of 2029. The changes will also remove 5,500 women, infants, and children from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
Craig argued that the administration has consistently undermined the nutrition program’s integrity and urged Republican lawmakers to join opposition efforts. Since the implementation of the administration’s fiscal policies, an estimated 5.5 million Americans have already lost SNAP coverage, including approximately 2 million children.