Nutrition provisions in the FY2025 budget reconciliation law (sometimes referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act [OBBBA]; P.L. 119-21/H.R. 1), as enacted on July 4, 2025, are estimated to reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To achieve such savings, the new law significantly changes how SNAP benefits, administrative costs, and nutrition education costs are funded. Certain provisions are expected to reduce households' monthly benefit amounts and to make it more difficult for some individuals to qualify. The law also extends an annual $4 million grant program geared toward food rescue and donation within The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the Nutrition subtitle of P.L. 119-21 would reduce federal spending by almost $187 billion over 10 years (FY2025-FY2034), with the SNAP provisions all estimated to reduce spending. The SNAP and TEFAP provisions are part of the Agriculture Committee's title, where the non-nutrition provisions are, on net, estimated to increase mandatory spending. The initial House-passed bill contained more SNAP provisions, and with a higher amount of estimated SNAP reductions, than were ultimately passed by the Senate and subsequently enacted.
The new law achieves SNAP cost savings through policy changes in eight provisions that CBO expects would cause the federal government to spend less money on the program than under the prior law. P.L. 119-21 provisions would impact program costs in multiple ways that are expected to affect households and state operations. A SNAP provision estimated to reduce or increase federal spending will not necessarily impact all states or all households in the same way; it would depend on the specific policy and how it is implemented by federal and state governments.
SNAP is authorized as open-ended mandatory spending and is funded through appropriations laws. As such, amending SNAP eligibility, benefits, or other program rules can have a budgetary impact, particularly when policy changes impact participation and benefit amounts, as benefits have historically been about 95% of federal spending on the program. As such, changes that would impact SNAP benefits are those with the largest savings estimates from CBO. These changes include
Other savings come from changes to administrative costs and SNAP-related grants, including
CBO also published estimates of the provisions' impact on SNAP participation and benefit amounts.
Implementation decisions will affect how and when states and households experience these changes.
Nutrition provisions in the FY2025 budget reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21/H.R. 1), as enacted July 4, 2025, are estimated to reduce federal spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and, in order to achieve such savings, significantly change how the benefits, administrative costs, and nutrition education costs are funded. Certain provisions are also expected to reduce households' monthly benefit amounts and to make it more difficult for some individuals to qualify. Not all households in all states are expected to face the same barriers. The law also extends The Emergency Food Assistance Program's (TEFAP's) Farm to Food Bank Projects, which support food rescue and donation to food banks, at $4 million annually.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the Nutrition subtitle of P.L. 119-21 would reduce federal spending by almost $187 billion over 10 years (FY2025-FY2034), with the SNAP provisions all estimated to reduce spending. CBO also estimated the impact of some provisions of the new law on SNAP participation and benefit amounts.
To inform policymakers' work, this report provides procedural background, SNAP background, summaries of initial House-passed and enacted provisions, and an overview of CBO's available estimates of budgetary, participation, and benefit amount effects.
On May 22, 2025, the House initially passed a budget reconciliation bill—H.R. 1, an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to Title II of H.Con.Res. 14. The Agriculture title's Nutrition subtitle, as passed by the House, was made up of 12 SNAP provisions and 1 provision pertaining to TEFAP. Pursuant to the FY2025 budget resolution, H.Con.Res. 14, the Agriculture title was marked up and reported by the House Agriculture Committee on May 14.1 The House-passed bill includes changes to nutrition assistance provisions reported by the House Agriculture Committee, as modified by the rule for consideration of the bill. On June 11, the House passed a resolution (H.Res. 499) that, by reference to H.Res. 492, amended one of the nutrition provisions of the House-passed bill.2
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released two versions of legislative text pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14. An initial version was published June 11, 2025. The chairman released revised legislative text on June 25 to address the Senate Parliamentarian's application of the "Byrd Rule."3 The chairman released a statement on June 26, stating that the Parliamentarian had ruled the revised provisions in the Senate Committee proposal comply with the Byrd Rule.4 The Senate Committee proposal included eight SNAP provisions in the Nutrition subtitle and one TEFAP provision in the "Additional Investments in Rural America" subtitle. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry language was incorporated into a substitute amendment to the House-passed H.R. 1 that was put before the Senate on June 27. Additional changes were made to the language prior to its final passage in the Senate.5 The amended H.R. 1 passed the Senate on July 1, passed the House on July 3, and was signed by the President on July 4.
SNAP provides eligible low-income households electronic benefits redeemable for SNAP-eligible foods at SNAP-eligible retailers. Benefit amounts vary by household size and benefit calculation rules. Under current law, until related P.L. 119-21 changes take effect, the federal government pays 100% of the cost of SNAP benefits to households as well as matching states' administrative costs. Under the terms of SNAP law, the federal government also provides funding for Employment and Training, nutrition education, and other program costs. Fifty-three state agencies operate SNAP: 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.6 SNAP is jointly administered by state agencies, which handle recipient functions, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA, FNS), which supports and oversees the states and handles retailer functions.
SNAP is authorized as open-ended mandatory spending and is funded through appropriations laws. As such, amending SNAP eligibility, benefits, or other program rules can have a budgetary impact, particularly when policy changes impact participation and benefit amounts, as benefits have historically been about 95% of federal spending on the program.7 A SNAP proposal estimated to reduce or increase federal spending will not necessarily impact all states or all households in the same way; it would depend on the specific policy and how it is implemented by federal and state governments. P.L. 119-21 provisions would impact program costs in a variety of ways that are expected to affect households and state operations. (See the "CBO Estimates of Budgetary and Other Impacts" section.)
Table 1 presents short descriptions of current law before describing the bill's proposed changes for each of the nutrition provisions. For additional background or context, see the following:
Table 1. Nutrition Program Provisions in the House Budget Reconciliation Bill as
Passed the House Initially and as Enacted, Compared to Prior Law
(H.R. 1, as passed the House on May 22, 2025; H.R. 1, as enacted July 4, 2025)
|
H.R. 1 as Initially Passed the House |
H.R. 1 (P.L. 119-21) as Enacted |
|
|
Maximum monthly SNAP benefit allotments are tied to the cost of purchasing a nutritionally adequate, low-cost diet as measured by the USDA-created and -calculated market basket, the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). The 2018 farm bill required a reevaluation of the TFP's contents every five years. USDA's 2021 reevaluation for the contiguous states and the District of Columbia (unlike reevaluations in 2006 and earlier) did not hold the cost of the new basket neutral, and benefits increased approximately $12-$16 per person per month.b Separate from reevaluating the contents, the TFP is adjusted for inflation annually based on the cost of the market basket's contents, using Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) data for the specific food types. USDA anticipates the next reevaluation in 2026. The TFP is also used as an index of inflation to calculate annual mandatory funding for TEFAP entitlement commodities as well as the Nutrition Assistance Program block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa. (7 U.S.C. §2012(u); 7 U.S.C. §2017(a)) |
The House-passed bill would have provided that not earlier than October 1, 2028, and at intervals not more frequent than five years, USDA would have discretion to reevaluate the market baskets of the TFP. Prior to any update based on such a reevaluation, the methodology and results would have been required to be published in the Federal Register with a comment period of at least 60 days. Constraints would have been added that would prevent USDA from reevaluating the TFP in a way that exceeds the rate of inflation. Constraints would have been added to the adjustment of the SNAP maximum benefit for household size. USDA would have been required annually to adjust TFP's value according to the CPI-U. (§10001) |
The enacted bill provides that not earlier than October 1, 2027, USDA has discretion to reevaluate the market baskets of the TFP. No interval of reevaluation is specified. No Federal Register publication is specified. Constraints are added that would prevent USDA from reevaluating the TFP in a way that exceeds the rate of inflation. Constraints for calculating the benefit amount for nine-person and larger households differ from those in House-passed H.R. 1. USDA is required annually to adjust TFP's value according to the CPI-U. (§10101) |
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Able-bodied adults' work requirements and waivers |
||
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Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), ages 18-54, who do not meet specified work requirements (20 hours per week of work or participation in specified programs) are limited to receiving three months of SNAP benefits in a 36-month period.c Dependent children are those under age 18. Some individuals are exempt from this time limit, including pregnant women and those exempt from the general work requirements (see discussion of Section 10008). Until October 1, 2030, there are exemptions for veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and certain individuals who aged out of foster care. The sunset also applies to the upper age limit; the upper limit would return to age 49 on October 1, 2030. |
The House-passed bill would have expanded the population subject to the time limit to ages 18-64 and adults whose youngest child dependent is age 7 or older. Neither of these policy changes would have sunset, but the House-passed bill would have retained the sunset date for veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and certain individuals who aged out of foster care. (§10002)
|
The enacted bill expands the population subject to the time limit to ages 18-64 and adults whose youngest child dependent is age 14 or older. The proposal strikes the exemptions for veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and certain individuals who aged out of foster care, as well as the sunset date. It adds exemptions for Indians, Urban Indians, and California Indians, as defined in cross-referenced statutes. (§10102(a)) |
|
States and portions of states may request waivers, subject to USDA approval, from enforcement of the ABAWD time limit if specified unemployment conditions are occurring. The statute says areas eligible for a waiver are those with an unemployment rate greater than 10% or an area that "does not have a sufficient number of jobs." Federal regulation defines "lack of sufficient jobs," allowing a variety of data to constitute this lack, including if the area's unemployment rate is at least 20% above the national average. The regulation lists a number of grounds for lack of sufficient jobs that are "readily approvable." (7 U.S.C. §2015(o); 7 C.F.R. §273.24)d States enforcing the time limit earn discretionary exemptions, which they may use to provide a time-limited individual an additional month or months of benefits. States' available exemptions are calculated based on 8% of the caseload estimated to be subject to the time limit. (7 U.S.C. §2015(o)(6)) |
The House-passed bill would have limited waivers to "counties or county-equivalents" with unemployment rates of over 10% and the waivers' duration would have been limited to 12 consecutive months. Discretionary exemptions would have been reduced to 1% of the caseload estimated to be subject to the time limit. (§10003) |
The enacted bill limits waivers to areas with unemployment rates over 10% and, only for "noncontiguous states" (Alaska and Hawaii), areas with unemployment rates at or above 1.5 times the national unemployment rate. Unlike the House-passed bill, it continues to allow states to apply for waivers in "areas" that exceed that unemployment rate and does not limit the duration of the waiver. No changes are made to discretionary exemptions. Through December 31, 2028, USDA may exempt individuals from the work requirement in Alaska and Hawaii if the state requests the exemption, the state submits information as specified by USDA, and USDA determines the state is making a good faith effort to have individuals comply with the work requirement. (§10102(b)) |
|
Availability of standard utility allowances based on receipt of energy assistance |
||
|
In SNAP eligibility determination, a household's benefit amount can increase if it qualifies for including an "excess shelter deduction" in its benefit calculation. A household can use a Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or similar energy assistance payment (so long as it is greater than $20) as evidence that it has incurred heating and cooling costs. This receipt garners a standard utility allowance (SUA), a figure that enters into the SNAP benefit calculation equation and makes qualifying for an excess shelter deduction more likely. A November 2024 final rule codified this treatment of energy assistance. (7 U.S.C. §2014(e)(6)(C), (k)(4)); 89 Federal Register 91198) |
Under the House-passed bill, for households without elderly or disabled members, a LIHEAP or state energy assistance payment (of any amount) would have no longer sufficed for the SUA. The House-passed bill would not have changed the law for households with elderly or disabled members. (§10004) |
In the enacted bill, as in House-passed H.R. 1 (as amended by H.Res. 499), for households without elderly or disabled members a LIHEAP or state energy assistance payment (of any amount) no longer suffices for the SUA. The enacted bill also does not change the law for households with elderly or disabled members. (§10103) |
|
Restrictions on internet expenses |
||
|
In SNAP eligibility determination, statute does not prohibit the inclusion of internet costs in calculating utility costs for an "excess shelter deduction" in the benefit calculation. Federal regulation enumerates the extent to which internet costs can be included. A November 2024 final rule would have required states to start considering internet costs in state-set SUAs, beginning October 1, 2025. (7 U.S.C. §2014(e)(6); 7 CFR §273.9(d)(6)(ii)(C); 89 Federal Register 91198) |
The House-passed bill would have prohibited use of household internet costs in calculating the excess shelter expense deduction. (§10005) |
The enacted bill would prohibit use of household internet costs in calculating the excess shelter expense deduction. (§10104) |
|
Matching funds requirements for benefit costs |
||
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The costs of SNAP benefits are funded 100% by the federal government. (7 U.S.C. §2013) |
Beginning in FY2028, the House-passed bill would have required all states to contribute at least 5% of the cost of SNAP benefits, with higher matching requirements based on a state's error rate. States with error rates equal to or greater than 6% but less than 8% would have been required to contribute 15%, those with error rates equal to or greater than 8% but less than 10% would have been required to contribute 20%, and those with error rates equal to or greater than 10% would have been required to contribute 25%. (§10006) (The House-passed bill would have eliminated the dollar threshold for considering an overpayment or underpayment an error. See "Quality Control Zero Tolerance" row for details on error rate definition.) |
Beginning in FY2028, the enacted bill requires (1) states with error rates equal to or greater than 6% but less than 8% to contribute 5% of SNAP benefit costs, (2) states with error rates equal to or greater than 8% but less than 10% to contribute 10% of SNAP benefit costs, and (3) states with error rates equal to or greater than 10% to contribute 15% of SNAP benefit costs. For FY2028, states may elect to use the state's error rate from FY2025 or FY2026. For FY2029 and thereafter, USDA must use the error rate for the third fiscal year preceding the year for which the state's share is being calculated. The cost-sharing requirement is delayed for comparatively higher error-rate states where the state's error rate multiplied by 1.5 equals or exceeds 20% in FY2025 or FY2026. For such states in FY2025, the new cost-sharing requirement for benefits is delayed until FY2029. For such states in FY2026, the new cost-sharing requirement is delayed until FY2030. (§10105) (Enacted bill retains the current law dollar threshold for considering a benefit payment in error. See "Quality Control Zero Tolerance" row for details on error rate definition.) |
|
Administrative cost sharing |
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States' costs to administer SNAP (i.e., costs associated with determining household eligibility and issuing benefits) are reimbursed 50% by the federal government. (7 U.S.C. §2025(a)) |
Under the House-passed bill, states' costs to administer SNAP would have been reimbursed 25% by the federal government. (§10007) |
Beginning FY2027, states' costs to administer SNAP would be reimbursed 25% by the federal government. (§10106) |
|
Most adults who are not elderly or disabled must register for work (typically with the SNAP state agency or a state employment service office); accept a suitable job if offered one; fulfill any work, job search, or training requirements established by administering state SNAP agencies; provide the administering public assistance agency with sufficient information to allow a determination with respect to their job availability; and not voluntarily quit a job without good cause or reduce work effort below 30 hours a week. The law exempts those who are physically or mentally unfit for work, under age 16 or over age 59, caring for dependents who are incapacitated or under age six, and specified others.e Individuals may be disqualified from SNAP for failure to comply with these general work requirements for a period depending on whether it is a first, second, or third violation. (7 U.S.C. §2015(d)) |
The House-passed bill would have changed the scope of individuals exempt from the general work requirements. Ages 18 to 64 would have been subject to general work requirements unless otherwise exempt. It would have changed the exemption for caring for a young child, exempting those caring for a child under the age of seven. (§10008) |
No provision. |
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National Accuracy Clearinghouse |
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Following an interstate pilot program to check for duplicative interstate issuance of SNAP benefits, the 2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334) required the establishment of the National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC) to identify concurrent SNAP enrollment in multiple states and required state action on information that could change benefit amounts. USDA implemented the provision with an interim final rule in October 2022. (7 U.S.C. §2020(x); 7 C.F.R. §272.18) Some states operate integrated eligibility systems that integrate SNAP with their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and other means-tested programs. |
The House-passed bill would have required state agencies to use NAC's indications of multistate SNAP issuances to prevent multiple issuances of other federal and state assistance program benefits through the integrated eligibility system that the state uses to administer SNAP. (§10009) |
No provision. |
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Quality control zero tolerance |
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SNAP's Quality Control (QC) system measures errors in SNAP by calculating estimated overpayments and underpayments that exceed a certain dollar threshold. Errors are estimated using a sample of each state's SNAP cases. USDA estimates national and state error rates by comparing the errors to total benefits issued. These rates are used as a basis for calculating state liability amounts for low performance. The certain dollar threshold is called the QC error tolerance threshold (or tolerance level). Over the years, the way that statute and regulation have set the error tolerance threshold amount has changed. Since FY2014, the QC error tolerance threshold has been set in statute at $37 (with annual inflation adjustment). The FY2025 threshold is $57. (7 U.S.C. §2025(c)) Recent error rates are available on the USDA, FNS website.f Errors are not the same as fraud. |
The House-passed bill would have reduced the QC error tolerance threshold to $0 for FY2026 and subsequent years. (§10010) |
No provision. |
|
Formerly called SNAP Nutrition Education (and sometimes still referred to as SNAP-Ed), the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program delivers formula grant funding for states to provide nutrition and fitness education programs for SNAP (and other domestic food assistance program) participants as well as other low-income households.h The program receives annual mandatory funding according to statutory parameters; $536 million was provided under FY2025 appropriations. |
The House-passed bill would have eliminated the program. (§10011) |
The enacted bill eliminates the program's mandatory funding for FY2026 and subsequent years. (§10107) |
|
Noncitizen eligibility for SNAP is governed by the term "qualified alien," which is defined to include lawful permanent residents (LPRs), refugees, asylees, aliens paroled into the United States for at least one year, certain battered aliens, certain victims of trafficking, Cuban-Haitian Entrants, and migrants lawfully residing in the United States pursuant to the Compact of Free Association (COFA) (8 U.S.C. §1641). Certain qualified aliens are barred from SNAP for the first five years after entry/grant of status, including certain LPRs, battered aliens, and parolees (8 U.S.C. §1613). The income and financial resources of ineligible noncitizens are required to be considered in determining their household's eligibility and allotment for SNAP. |
The House-passed bill would have limited noncitizen eligibility for SNAP to the following groups: LPRs (subject to the existing five-year-bar), certain Cuban parolees approved for family-based immigration and who meet other criteria, and COFA migrants lawfully residing in the United States. These individuals would also have had to be otherwise eligible for SNAP. (§10012) |
The enacted bill limits noncitizen eligibility for SNAP to the following groups: LPRs (subject to the existing five-year-bar), Cuban-Haitian Entrants, and COFA migrants lawfully residing in the United States. These individuals would also have to be otherwise eligible for SNAP. (§10108) |
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The 2018 farm bill (§4018 of P.L. 115-334) established projects within TEFAP aimed at supporting food recovery and donation from farms and other agricultural entities to food banks and similar feeding organizations (Farm to Food Bank Projects). The law provided $4 million in annual mandatory funding for the projects from FY2019 to FY2023, which was extended through FY2024 by P.L. 118-22. While FY2024 funds can carry over, funding for Farm to Food Bank Projects has not been specifically provided for FY2025. (7 U.S.C. §7507(d)) |
The House-passed bill would have extended funding for TEFAP's Farm to Food Bank Projects, providing $4 million in annual mandatory funding for each of FY2025-FY2031. (§10013) |
As in the House-passed bill, the enacted bill extends funding for TEFAP's Farm to Food Bank Projects, providing $4 million in annual mandatory funding for each of FY2025-FY2031. (§10603) |
Source: CRS summaries based on cited provisions of prior law, H.R. 1 as initially passed the House, and enacted law. CRS summarized the respective bill texts published on Congress.gov. Section titles are sometimes but not always the exact title used in the two bill versions.
Notes: The majority of the enacted SNAP provisions (§§10101, 10102, 10103, 10104, and 10108) are effective immediately. In practice, their implemented date (and/or date that will impact households) will rely on USDA guidance and rulemaking, and some provisions may be subject to flexibilities given to states in federal regulation.
a. A more detailed description of the TFP and this proposal is included in the summary of Section 12401 in CRS Report R48167, The 2024 Farm Bill: H.R. 8467 Compared with Current Law. Except for the starting date, the House-passed proposal is identical to Section 12401 of H.R. 8467 (118th Congress).
b. An update to Hawaii's TFP in 2023, using Honolulu data, resulted in a TFP lower than the plan in place in the contiguous states. See, generally, USDA, FNS, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, "USDA Food Plans," https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/cnpp/usda-food-plans.
c. The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (P.L. 118-5, Section 311) extended the upper age limit from 49 to 54 in addition to exempting the special populations listed. This policy is set to sunset October 1, 2030.
d. As of April 1, 2025, 27 states have waivers from the ABAWD time limit under these provisions. Most of these waivers are for certain areas of a state, but six states have statewide waivers.
e. Others exempt from general work requirements are individuals between ages 16 and 18 if they are not a head of household and are attending school or training, individuals working at least 30 hours per week or the minimum wage equivalent, individuals subject to or complying with a specified assistance program's work requirements, specified postsecondary students, and residents of substance abuse treatment programs.
f. See USDA, FNS, "SNAP Payment Error Rates," https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/qc/per.
g. The provisions are titled "National education and obesity prevention grant program repealer" but current statute titles the program, "Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program" (7 U.S.C. 2036a).
h. See USDA, FNS, "SNAP-Ed," https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/snap-ed for program background.
i. This summary was contributed by Abigail Kolker, CRS Analyst in Immigration Policy.
j. This summary was contributed by Kara Billings, CRS Analyst in Social Policy.
CBO published estimates of the budgetary impacts of the House-passed bill and the enacted law. CBO also detailed estimates of participation and benefit amount impacts of SNAP provisions of the enacted law, following an earlier estimate of the House Agriculture Committee's bill.
These analyses scored their respective provisions against the January 2025 baseline, where CBO estimated that the SNAP account (made up of SNAP, programs in lieu of SNAP, and TEFAP) would be authorized to spend over $1.114 trillion in the 10-year period from FY2025 to FY2034 under the law that was current at the time.8
On June 4, 2025, CBO published an estimate of the House-passed bill's budgetary impact, including a cost estimate for each title and the sections that compose the title. The estimate for the Agriculture title, of which nutrition provisions are part, was based on the legislation as passed the House on May 22. On July 21, CBO published an estimate of the enacted bill text, including each of the provisions in the Agriculture Committee's title. Table 2 compares the cost estimates of the nutrition and non-nutrition provisions at a high level, while Table 3 is a more detailed comparison by each nutrition provision.
In the House-passed bill, the Agriculture provisions, taken together, were estimated to reduce direct spending by more than $238 billion over 10 years (FY2025-FY2034), while the enacted text was estimated to save over $118 billion. In both cases, the majority of these savings comes from nutrition provisions: almost $295 billion in the House-passed version and almost $187 billion in the enacted version. The other provisions in the Agriculture title were primarily estimated to increase spending, though at least one non-nutrition provision was estimated to reduce spending.
Table 2. Comparison of Nutrition with Other Provisions in H.R. 1 Agriculture Titles
(budget authority, in billions of dollars)
|
CBO Estimate |
CBO Estimate |
|
|
Nutrition Subtitle Total |
-$294.643 |
-$186.650 |
|
Non-Nutrition Subtitle |
+$58.945 |
+$68.258 |
|
Agriculture Title Total |
-$235.698 |
-$118.392 |
Source: The Congressional Budget Office's published estimates, as specified below in notes.
a. CBO estimate of H.R. 1 as passed by the House on May 22, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61461 (June 4, 2025).
b. CBO estimate of P.L. 119-21, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61570 (July 21, 2025).
Within the nutrition provisions, in both bill versions, CBO estimated the bill's largest SNAP reductions would come from the creation of a state match for benefit costs ($128 billion over 10 years in the House-passed version, nearly $41 billion in the enacted version) and changes to the ABAWD population and waivers of the ABAWD time limit ($92 billion over 10 years in the House-passed version, nearly $69 billion in the enacted version).10 CBO's publications include estimates for each section (see Table 3). The estimates also account for an interactive effect of enacting all the provisions, as the policies have a relationship with each other that impacts their individual budgetary effects. A May 22 letter (discussed in the next section) contextualizes these cost estimates in terms of households, benefit amounts, and state choices, and though that letter is based on legislation significantly different from the enacted version, the illustration in these terms can be meaningful for understanding the budgetary effects.
Table 3. Comparison of CBO Cost Estimates of Nutrition Program Provisions
(10-year estimates FY2025-FY2034, budget authority)
|
CBO Estimate |
CBO Estimate |
|
|
Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) |
-$36.8 billion |
-$37.3 billion |
|
Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Work Requirements and Waivers |
-$92.5 billion |
-$68.6 billion |
|
Availability of Standard Utility Allowances Based on Energy Assistance |
-$5.9 billion |
-$5.9 billion |
|
Restrictions on Internet Expenses |
-$11.0 billion |
-$11.0 billion |
|
Matching Funds Requirements for Benefit Costs |
-$128.3 billion |
-$40.8 billion |
|
-$27.4 billion |
-$24.7 billion |
|
|
General Work Requirement Age |
$0 million |
Not applicable |
|
National Accuracy Clearinghouse |
-$7.4 billion |
Not applicable |
|
Quality Control Zero Tolerance |
-$80.0 million |
Not applicable |
|
Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program |
-$5.5 billion |
-$5.5 billion |
|
-$3.9 billion |
-$1.9 billion |
|
|
TEFAP Farm to Food Bankc |
+$28.0 million |
+$28.0 million |
|
Interactions within Nutrition Subtitle |
+$24.0 billion |
+$9.0 billion |
|
Total of Nutrition Provisions |
-$294.6 billion |
-$186.7 billion |
Source: Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) published estimates, as specified below in notes.
Notes: Per CRS communication with CBO (most recently, July 14, 2025), cost estimates of some of the nutrition provisions also include savings from Medicaid (National Accuracy Clearinghouse) and Child Nutrition Programs (Thrifty Food Plan's interaction with Summer EBT; matching funds requirements).
a. CBO estimate of H.R. 1 as passed by the House on May 22, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61461 (June 4, 2025).
b. CBO estimate of P.L. 119-21, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61570 (July 21, 2025).
c. The text of the TEFAP provisions is identical in the House-passed and enacted versions, but the locations within the bill differ. In the enacted version, this provision is included in a different subtitle than the SNAP provisions, but in the House version it is in the same subtitle.
On August 11, 2025, CBO published an estimate of P.L. 119-21's impacts on participation and benefits. This analysis supplemented the SNAP information included in a larger analysis on the law's distributional effects.
CBO's estimated state and household effects included the following:
CBO specified that the effects in this estimate are presented "for each section as if implemented on its own; they do not account for interactions among provisions. Because of overlap in the affected populations, the effects of simultaneously enacting all of the provisions would differ from the sum of effects of enacting each provision separately."
Consistent with the policy comparison in Table 1 and CBO budgetary impact estimates in Table 3, CBO's May 22 estimate (based on a version of the House-passed bill) found larger impacts for the changes to work requirements, benefits cost-sharing, and administrative costs cost-sharing than those shown above for the enacted law.14
With the enactment of these provisions, the immediate, medium-term, and longer-term impacts of the SNAP changes depend on USDA's and the states' implementation of the changes. For USDA, this might mean the timeline and technical assistance support provided to states. For states, this may include budgetary decisions to meet their new cost-share requirements and notifying current recipients and potential applicants of the changes to come. As the benefit cost-share provisions hinge on states future error rates, state improvements and federal roles in that improvement may play a part. Some SNAP state agencies are also Medicaid state agencies facing changes from other titles of P.L. 119-21.15
As indicated in Table 1, some of the provisions begin in future years; for example, the states' new cost-sharing requirements for benefit and administrative costs begin to take effect in FY2026. However, the majority of the enacted SNAP provisions (Thrifty Food Plan, work requirements, and waivers, treatment of energy assistance and internet costs, noncitizen eligibility for SNAP) are effective immediately. In practice, their implemented date (and/or date that will impact households) will rely on USDA guidance and rulemaking, and some provisions may be subject to flexibilities given to states in federal regulation.
| 1. |
For background on the reconciliation process, see CRS Report R48444, The Reconciliation Process: Frequently Asked Questions. |
| 2. |
The change struck a conforming amendment in Section 10004 that CRS, in consultation with CBO, interprets would not change the implementation of Section 10004. |
| 3. |
For more information on the Byrd Rule, see CRS Report RL30862, The Budget Reconciliation Process: The Senate's "Byrd Rule". |
| 4. |
U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, "Senate Parliamentarian Approves Ag Committee's Revised Provisions for Cost-Share & SNAP Eligibility," press release, June 26, 2025, https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/senate-parliamentarian-approves-ag-committees-revised-provisions-for-cost-share-and-snap-eligibility. |
| 5. |
Samuel Benson, "Senate GOP adds SNAP waivers for Alaska, Hawaii in new megabill text," Politico, June 28, 2025, https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/28/congress/senate-gop-snap-waivers-alaska-hawaii-megabill-00430999. |
| 6. |
References to "state" or "states" in this report refer to SNAP's 53 state agencies. |
| 7. |
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12255, Farm Bill Primer: SNAP and Nutrition Title Programs, using USDA administrative data. |
| 8. |
CBO, Baseline Projections, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, January 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-01/51312-2025-01-snap.xlsx (CRS calculated budget authority for FY2025-FY2034). Note that CBO also presented some cost estimates scored against the "Budget Enforcement Baseline for Consideration in the Senate"; these are not discussed in this report. |
| 9. |
This section summarizes CBO estimate of H.R. 1 as passed by the House on May 22, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61461 (June 4, 2025); and the CBO estimate of P.L. 119-21, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61570 (July 21, 2025). |
| 10. |
CBO also estimated the interaction of the Nutrition provisions, which adds a cost of $25 billion and which may impact the cost estimates of individual provisions. |
| 11. |
This section summarizes CBO, Estimated Effects of P.L. 119-21 on Participation and Benefits Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, August 11, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-08/61367-SNAP.pdf. CBO presented this information as a supplement to CBO, letter to the Honorable Brendan F. Boyle, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, the Honorable Jeffrey A. Merkley, and the Honorable Charles E. Schumer concerning the distributional effects of P.L. 119-21 (August 11, 2025), http://www.cbo.gov/publication/61367. |
| 12. |
More specifically, CBO stated that this 2.4 million participation estimate is made up of affected subpopulations: about 800,000 adults ages 55-64 without dependents, 300,000 adults who live with children age 14 or older, roughly 1 million adults without dependents who would have received a waiver or exemption under prior law, and a net 300,000 from the new populations who will no longer be exempt (veterans, homeless, aged out of foster care) plus the new exemptions for American Indians. CBO did not indicate whether any of these participation changes are due to increases in participants' employment income. |
| 13. |
SNAP participation confers automatic eligibility for certain child nutrition program benefits, as discussed further in CRS Report R46234, School Meals and Other Child Nutrition Programs: Background and Funding. SNAP participation also informs schools' eligibility for and funding under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Children who lose eligibility for free meals through SNAP may still be eligible for free or reduced-price meals through another pathway, such as income eligibility. |
| 14. |
CBO, Re: Potential Effects on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program of Reconciliation Recommendations Pursuant to H. Con. Res. 14, as Ordered Reported by the House Committee on Agriculture on May 12, 2025, letter to Ranking Members Klobuchar and Craig, May 22, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-05/Klobuchar-Craig-Letter-SNAP_5-22-25.pdf. This estimate is based on a version of Section 10012 that is different from the House-passed bill. |
| 15. |
P.L. 119-21, Subtitle B, Chapter 1. |