USDA proposes rule to end automatic SNAP eligibility for TANF recipients

The Department of Agriculture published a proposed rule on Tuesday that would sever the automatic link between two major federal welfare programs.

Under current guidelines, individuals who receive benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program automatically qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The new proposal would eliminate this automatic qualification. Recipients would still need to apply separately and meet specific income limits to receive food benefits.

Federal rules generally restrict SNAP eligibility to households earning less than 130% of the poverty level. For an individual, this threshold is slightly over $1,700 per month. For a family of four, the limit is nearly $3,600 monthly. Many states have used the automatic TANF link to grant SNAP benefits to people who earn above these caps, often through broad-based categorical eligibility.

A USDA report from last year indicated that 41 states and the District of Columbia utilize some form of this broad-based eligibility. The administration argues that the proposed rule will close a loophole that allows states to expand benefits beyond federal income guidelines. The Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately 6.3 million people could lose SNAP eligibility by fiscal year 2029 if the rule is finalized.

This potential loss is additional to the 5.5 million people who have already lost benefits over the past year. The proposal follows a similar plan introduced by the first Trump administration in 2019, which was withdrawn in 2021 by the Biden administration. Stacy Dean, a former USDA official and current executive director of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University, noted that the previous administration did not want to remove millions of working poor people and children from the program.

David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University, described the current proposal as more sweeping than the 2019 version. He stated that the new rule would prevent states from using TANF-funded benefits, such as job counseling or vehicle repair vouchers, to establish SNAP eligibility. Super argued that the administration is eliminating the flexibility Congress granted to states to serve working poor populations.

The change also affects school meal programs. Children in households that lose SNAP benefits may lose eligibility for free school meals. The Department of Agriculture estimates that nearly 1.8 million children would be affected, though 97% would still qualify for free or reduced-price meals through other means. The government acknowledged that some families might not apply for these alternative benefits, leaving children without lunch.

As of July, 36 million people were receiving SNAP assistance, a 13% decline from the previous year. This drop coincided with the expansion of work requirements to include adults aged 55 to 64 and parents of children at least 14 years old. A 2025 tax and policy law also requires states to cover about three-fourths of the administrative costs of the program, up from half, and pay for some benefits if error rates exceed specific thresholds. Carolyn Vega, director of policy analysis for Share Our Strength, described the new rule as one of several factors currently reducing state access to SNAP.