USDA's Proposed SNAP Rule Would End Automatic Eligibility for 6.3 Million People, the Agency's Own Analysis Says
The proposed rule, issued Tuesday, would curb automatic SNAP eligibility for households that receive TANF cash aid. USDA estimates nearly 18 percent of recipients would lose benefits — and 1.8 million children would lose free school lunch eligibility with them. It is a proposal, open for comment, not a final rule.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to cut millions more Americans from the nation's largest food assistance program, even as enrollment continues to fall from other administration cuts, Reuters reported. A proposed rule issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would curb automatic eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, for households receiving cash aid under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program.
The mechanism is eligibility paperwork with large consequences. Households receiving TANF benefits currently qualify for SNAP without needing to meet federal income thresholds; TANF eligibility varies by state but is generally 130% to 200% of the federal poverty level, while SNAP eligibility is generally 130%. Under the USDA's proposed change, nearly 18% of SNAP recipients, or about 6.3 million people, would lose benefits, according to an agency analysis included in the proposed rule. The changes would make SNAP eligibility more standardized and "preserve benefits for the truly needy," the rule said, according to Reuters.
The proposal arrives on top of cuts already in motion. More than 5.5 million people have already lost SNAP benefits since President Donald Trump enacted cuts to the program in his July 2025 tax law, bringing enrollment to about 36 million people, according to USDA data; Reuters reported the decline is partly due to struggles by states to implement administrative changes to the program and to absorb significant new costs from the law. Because SNAP enrollment also confers eligibility for other food aid programs, the USDA estimates that 1.8 million children would also lose eligibility for free school lunch under its proposed rule.
Democratic Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, called the rule "heartless and cruel" in a statement, Reuters reported. "The proposed rule would make it harder to meet basic needs and roll back efforts to streamline federal programs," she said. The rule is a proposal, not a final regulation: the public will have 30 days to comment on it, and no household's benefits change under this rule until the process concludes.
