Overview
- The Agriculture Department published the proposed rule Tuesday, signed by Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden, and opened a 30-day public comment period before any final action.
- USDA projects the rule would remove about 3.2 million households (roughly 6.3 million people) from SNAP by fiscal 2029 and cut about $44.6 billion in federal benefit spending over five years.
- Practically, the rule would end broad-based categorical eligibility that many states use to enroll people who get certain TANF benefits or services and require states to verify more applicants, a shift USDA says will raise state administrative costs by roughly $929 million over five years.
- The change would also strip automatic access to free school meals for about 1.78 million children and affect Summer EBT and WIC enrollment for thousands, creating administrative hurdles that advocates say will lead to additional losses.
- Democrats and anti-hunger groups have sharply criticized the move, the proposal builds on a similar 2019 plan and 2025 SNAP changes, and Congress and the public comment period will shape whether and how the rule is finalized.