The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to drop millions of people from SNAP — commonly known as food stamps — and other government assistance programs for vulnerable families, according to a new proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An impact analysis by USDA estimates that over 6 million people could lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and nearly 2 million would be eliminated from receiving free school meals if families don’t fit new income eligibility requirements.
The Trump administration is attempting to limit a provision called “broad-based categorical eligibility” (BBCE) which allows families who receive some Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to also qualify for SNAP benefits, even if they exceed the threshold for the SNAP program.
TANF is a cash assistance government program run by the Department of Health and Human Services. A majority of states use BBCE to expand SNAP access.
The proposed rule to the largest food assistance program used by about 36 million Americans would do away with eligibility for SNAP for families receiving non-cash TANF support, like childcare subsidies and employment training services.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the proposal would mean a family of three with an income above $35,500 and receiving certain TANF aid could be deemed ineligible for SNAP benefits. Ty Jones Cox, Vice President for Food Assistance with CBPP, emphasized that families with kids would lose help buying groceries amid affordability concerns that were front and center in the midterm elections.
The proposal unveiled on Tuesday argues that the “proliferation” of government programs has threatened the integrity of SNAP by eroding public trust that benefits are available only to those who meet the eligibility limits set in law.
The proposal will “dramatically narrow” services that qualify families for SNAP, according to a former USDA official.
“What this rule is doing is saying we’re going to cut out a bunch of those services from getting you on SNAP,” said former Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long, who served under former President Barack Obama and during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) contended that the changes are “long overdue.” In a statement, a USDA spokesperson told ABC News, “Broad-based categorical eligibility has bloated the welfare rolls for decades. It has allowed States to take short cuts, error rates to balloon, and those with income and assets far above federal limits access to a benefit meant for the neediest among us.”
The agency’s proposed move comes in addition to the estimated 5 million people who were already terminated from SNAP under the 2025 law known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Other nutrition assistance programs, including for women, infants and children (WIC), could also forfeit eligibility under the new proposal.
The proposed rule must undergo a 30-day comment period, and it would not take effect until 2029.
Long told ABC News that TANF assistance for families has evolved over the years, from cash benefits to childcare and job training. It’s unclear whether the rule will go through as child and family groups are likely to protest the proposal. Advocates worry that its impact on families is understated.
Ariel Taylor Smith, senior director of policy and action for the National Parents Union, said the proposal will have a disproportionate impact on students from historically underserved communities and children with disabilities.
“It’s the most un-American thing we can do — to not feed the children in our country,” Smith told ABC News.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have criticized the proposal. Among them is Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown who called the proposed cuts to welfare services “just plain wrong” in a post on X.
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