USDA Proposal Would Remove 6.3 Million People From SNAP Food Aid

The Department of Agriculture has proposed a rule change that would end automatic enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for households receiving cash or in-kind assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Under the proposal, people receiving TANF assistance would have to apply for SNAP separately instead of being enrolled automatically.

The administration says the cuts would happen because some people's income or resources exceed federal statutory limits. The USDA draft proposal states that the changes would save more than 44 billion dollars and would remove 6.3 million people from the program in the first year.

“The cuts would kick 6.3 million people off of the program in its first year.”

The formal notice was published on Monday and requires a 30-day comment period before full implementation. The new rule would drop SNAP participation by 17.6 percent from current levels.

This proposal follows last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Republicans and President Donald Trump. After that law took effect, 5.1 million people lost SNAP eligibility, a 13 percent decrease that brought enrollment to its lowest level in nearly two decades.

The administration estimates the new rule would be even more drastic than last year's changes. Major cuts to SNAP have long been a conservative goal and were part of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-backed blueprint for governing.