Overview
- The USDA published a proposed rule that would end or sharply limit broad‑based categorical eligibility, the state option that lets households qualify for SNAP based on certain TANF-funded noncash benefits without separate income or asset checks.
- The agency projects roughly 3.2 million households (about 6.3 million people) would lose SNAP by fiscal 2029 and estimates about $44.6 billion in federal savings over five years.
- The rule, which was published Tuesday, opens a 30‑day public comment period before any final decision and would not be fully in effect until fiscal year 2029 under the agency’s timeline.
- USDA says the change will better align SNAP with legal income limits, but the agency also estimates it would push verification and administrative costs onto states and raise state verification expenses by roughly $929 million over five years.
- Advocates and Democrats warned the proposal will increase hunger and cut related benefits—about 1.8 million children would lose automatic free school‑meal eligibility—and critics say the rule builds on 2025 changes that already removed millions from SNAP.