Thousands of Missourians could lose food assistance under ‘big, beautiful bill’
Haley Swaino
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
An estimated 14,000 Missourians ages 55-64 could lose their federal food benefits if changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program make it through the Senate.
The U.S. House last week approved the “big, beatufil bill” which includes cuts to social program budgets such as Medicaid and SNAP, known commonly as food stamps.
Millions of low-income Americans could lose food assistance under House Republicans’ tax and spending cuts package, according to a recent Congressional Budget Office analysis.
Nationwide, CBO estimates that these measures would strip roughly 3.2 million people of their food stamp benefits in an average month over the next decade.
One of the most controversial provisions of the bill includes expanding the program’s current work requirements to adults aged 55 to 64.
This would mean that unless an adult meets a 20-hour-per-week work requirement or qualifies for an exemption, such as having a disability, they would only be able to receive food benefits for three months in a three-year period.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that about 14,000 Missourians ages 55 to 64 with no children and no disability are at risk of losing food assistance under the proposed expansion of SNAP’s work requirement, according to an analysis of SNAP quality control data for the 2022 fiscal year.
The bill is expected to undergo multiple changes in the Senate.
The package, which aims to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda, brings historic cuts to some of America’s safety net programs. The proposed legislation would deliver trillions in tax cuts, but at the expense of significant cuts to federal funding for food assistance and Medicaid to balance out the financial impact.
In 2023, SNAP provided aid to roughly 42 million Americans monthly, 12.6% of the U.S. population. The USDA says about 12.2% of Missouri households are food insecure.
As written, the bill would reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by roughly $286 billion over the next decade, according to the CBO analysis.
The bill’s cuts could take food assistance away from families with children 7 years old or older.
Overall, 54,000 Missourians ages 18 to 64 with school-age children and no disability are at risk of losing food assistance under the proposed expansion of SNAP’s work requirement, according to CBPP analysis of SNAP quality control data for the 2022 fiscal year.
The vast majority of people at risk of losing SNAP would lose the assistance that allows them to purchase groceries. Research shows SNAP’s work requirement does not increase employment or earnings.
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