Senate GOP finalizing scaled-down food stamp cuts after backlash

Senate Republicans are finalizing a scaled-down plan to force some federal food aid costs to states as a way to pay for President Donald Trump's megabill, according to five people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move to downsize the controversial House GOP plan comes after intense pushback from Republican senators. That includes some of Trump's closest supporters in the upper chamber, who are concerned that red states particularly would be hit with billions of dollars in new costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps feed more than 40 million low-income Americans.

The reworked Senate plan would force states with the highest payment error rates to pay 15 percent of SNAP benefits, a lower rate than the House plan, which would require those states to pay 25 percent of benefits.

It would scale down the costs for states with lower error rates, allowing some of them to avoid having to foot any of the cost-share for benefits, according to three of the people. The cost-share plan would likely still kick in fiscal year 2028, as the House plan does — though senators are discussing if states would need even more time than that.

States would still need to pay the increased rate of 75 percent of administrative costs for the program as is in the House plan, up from the current 50 percent.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) will brief his Republican colleagues on the plans during their closed-door meeting Wednesday afternoon as the conference discusses remaining pieces of the massive party-line bill. His legislation will also include the House GOP’s proposal for increased, strict SNAP work requirements.

Scaling down the House GOP’s cost-share plan may be more politically palatable for Republican senators, but it will save less money. Senate GOP leaders are pushing the Agriculture panel to hit $150 billion in net spending cuts while also figuring out a way to pay for the $70 billion farm bill package farm-state Republicans want. That leaves a huge hole from the House’s plan, which cut $300 billion across SNAP.

A spokesperson for the Senate Agriculture Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boozman said in a brief interview Tuesday that details of the agriculture piece of the megabill are still in limbo.

“We’re still negotiating with our members,” he said.

Samuel Benson contributed reporting.