Senate Republicans on Wednesday released a pared-back plan to force states to pay for some federal food aid costs to help fund President Donald Trump’s megabill and several farm programs.
The Senate Agriculture Committee’s reconciliation bill is more palatable for at-risk and nervous Republicans than the House version, but it amounts to fewer cuts. According to a committee estimate, the bill slashes $211 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending — more than $80 billion less than the House’s plan does — and allows some states to avoid footing the bill for SNAP if they get their payment error rates below 6 percent by fiscal year 2028.
The most any state would have to pay for SNAP benefits is 15 percent, which is lower than the House plan’s requirement that states with the highest payment error rates pitch in 25 percent. The Senate plan would also require states to pay 75 percent of administrative SNAP costs, as the House’s proposal would.
The text’s release comes after intense pushback from Republican senators who opposed the House’s version of the cost-share program, worried that it would unfairly burden their states. Several state officials have flagged that paying for part of SNAP would force them to cut benefits, raise taxes or both.
