The House Agriculture Committee advanced its part of a 2025 budget reconciliation bill on May 14, 2025. The House passed H.R. 1 on May 22, and the package was later enacted. The proposal included changes to SNAP work rules, benefit calculations, eligibility, administration and federal-state costs—but budget estimates for the proposal and the enacted law measure different things. None is a direct estimate of how much an individual household’s monthly benefit would change.
What the House Agriculture Committee advanced
On May 14, 2025, the House Agriculture Committee marked up and reported its recommendations for the nutrition portion of the reconciliation package. The House-passed nutrition subtitle contained 12 provisions affecting SNAP and one affecting The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). H.R. 1 passed the House on May 22, 2025, and the reconciliation act was later enacted. The committee action was an earlier legislative stage, not a current pending bill. Congressional Research Service
SNAP provides eligible low-income households with electronic benefits they can redeem for SNAP-eligible items. The committee’s proposal addressed multiple parts of the program rather than making one uniform cut to every recipient. Congressional Research Service
What the proposal would have changed
The House-passed package grouped its SNAP changes around several mechanisms. Their effects could differ by household and state, depending on policy details and implementation by federal and state agencies. Congressional Research Service Congressional Research Service
- Work requirements and waivers: Changes expanded work requirements and restricted some state waivers.
- Benefit calculations and administration: The proposal changed how benefits are calculated and how the program is administered.
- Eligibility: It limited eligibility based on citizenship and immigration status.
- Federal-state cost sharing: It shifted a portion of benefit costs to states under specified conditions, with the enacted changes beginning in 2028 when a state’s payment error rate is 6 percent or higher.
The committee’s chairman, Glenn “GT” Thompson, framed the proposal as a way to encourage work and improve accountability. In a May 12, 2025 statement, he said SNAP had “drifted from a bridge to support American households in need to a permanent destination riddled with bureaucratic inefficiencies, misplaced incentives, and limited accountability.” That is the sponsor’s rationale, not an independent assessment of the program. House Agriculture Committee
Why the SNAP budget estimates differ
The figures often cited for the bill cover different legislative stages, scopes and budget measures. They should not be treated as competing forecasts of one outcome.
| Figure | What it measures | Stage and source |
|---|---|---|
| $287 billion | Reduction in federal spending over 2025–2034 from the SNAP subtitle in H.R. 1, under CBO’s dynamic analysis. This excludes Medicaid budget effects of Section 10009. | House-passed bill; Congressional Budget Office, 2025. CBO analysis |
| $309 billion | Deficit reduction over 2025–2034, including specified macroeconomic budgetary feedback. | House-passed bill; Congressional Budget Office, 2025. CBO analysis |
| $353 billion | Deficit reduction over 2025–2034 when the specified decrease in interest payments associated with lower borrowing needs is also included. | House-passed bill; Congressional Budget Office, 2025. CBO analysis |
| $295 billion | Preliminary estimate of reduced federal spending over 2025–2034 for the broader House-passed nutrition subtitle, including all 12 SNAP provisions and the subtitle’s TEFAP provision. | House-passed bill; CBO estimate as reported by the Congressional Research Service, 2025. CRS report |
| $187 billion | Reduction in primary deficits over 2025–2034 from SNAP changes in the enacted act, relative to CBO’s January 2025 baseline projections. | Enacted law; Congressional Budget Office, 2026. CBO analysis |
The $287 billion figure is a federal spending estimate for the SNAP subtitle, while $309 billion and $353 billion are deficit estimates that add specified macroeconomic and interest effects. The $295 billion estimate covers the wider nutrition subtitle. The later $187 billion figure concerns SNAP changes in the enacted law, uses a different budget measure and compares against a stated baseline. CBO’s enacted-law summary describes changes to work requirements, benefits, administration, waivers, eligibility and state cost sharing. CBO analysis CRS report CBO analysis
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these numbers do—and do not—say about a household
A reduction in federal spending is not the same as a projection of a recipient’s monthly benefit change. These estimates total budget effects across a defined period; they do not state how much any particular household would receive or lose. Because the rules interact with household circumstances and state implementation, the effects can vary. Congressional Research Service
For a household trying to understand its own benefits, the relevant question is how the enacted rules apply to its eligibility and case details—not which aggregate CBO estimate is largest. The figures above explain the budget analysis, not an individual benefit determination.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
