USDA Proposal to Narrow SNAP Eligibility Could Cut Off 6.3 Million People by 2029

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture put out a proposed rule that would close a door through which millions of low-income households now reach food stamps. By the department's own analysis, 6.3 million people would lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 2029, the year the rule would take effect. The agency projects that enrollment would fall by roughly 17%.

The change targets a policy known as broad-based categorical eligibility, which more than 40 states use. Under it, a household whose income is above SNAP's normal threshold can still qualify if it receives benefits through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. The new rule would end that for households receiving non-cash TANF benefits, such as childcare assistance or job training. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says the cutoff would fall on households with gross income just above 130% of the poverty line, about $35,500 a year for a family of three.

The effects would spread beyond SNAP. Many people qualify for other programs based on their SNAP status, and the USDA estimates that nearly 1.8 million children would lose access to free school lunches. About 5,500 low-income women would lose access to supplemental food aid for women and children. Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research and Action Center, said her organization believes those figures may be too low. "We know that the impact is going to be higher," she told CBS News.

The administration's case rests on fraud and on what it sees as a loophole. In the rule's text, the USDA argues that current standards mean a household with $1 million in wealth but no income could technically receive food stamps. A USDA spokesperson said in an email that the policy has "bloated the welfare rolls for decades," letting states take shortcuts, allowing error rates to balloon, and extending the benefit to households with income and assets far above federal limits. White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said the administration wants SNAP to serve only "eligible Americans who need it most," and that it will keep stopping fraudsters while taking cost-saving steps to make life more affordable.

Critics read it differently. Ty Jones Cox, vice president for food assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said the administration was ignoring public sentiment on affordability expressed in the election and continuing attacks on food assistance. Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, called the proposal "heartless and cruel." Plata-Nino noted that Congress authorized the policy long ago, and that it makes SNAP more accessible while lowering administrative costs for states.

Advocates see the rule as part of a larger effort. The "One Big Beautiful Bill," enacted in July 2025, expanded SNAP's work requirements. Since Oct. 1, states have also had to carry a larger share of the cost of administering the program, which advocates say could lead to further benefit cuts. USDA figures show more than 5 million Americans have lost access to food stamps since the law passed. "The states have so much on their plate that they cannot continue running the program," Plata-Nino said. She added that hunger is becoming more widespread, pointing to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showing food insecurity has surged since the pandemic, and warned that the rule would worsen health outcomes.

The idea is not new. The Trump administration floated a similar proposal in 2019, and the Biden administration withdrew it two years later. This time, the rule is open for public comment, and what happens after that period will determine whether it is adopted and whether the 2029 start date holds.