WASHINGTON — The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that a Republican plan to partially shift food aid costs to states can now be included in the sweeping tax cut legislation, after GOP senators revised the language to align with the chamber’s rules.
The parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled last Friday that the proposal to shift some benefit costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to states did not comply with the Senate’s Byrd Rule, which does not allow for “extraneous” provisions in reconciliation bills that allow legislation to pass with a simple majority in the upper chamber.
However, Agriculture Committee Chairman Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., announced Thursday the committee’s changes to the SNAP plans in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act now comply with the Senate rules. The cost-share proposal will be used to help offset the tax cuts in the bill.
“This paves the way for important reforms that improve efficiency and management of SNAP while encouraging responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” Boozman said in a statement.
The updated plan allows states to choose either their payment error rate from fiscal year 2025 or fiscal year 2026 to determine how much they will pay for the benefits costs. States would still have to pay up to 15% of the costs, according to the plan. Alabama’s most current error rate of 7% would cost the state about $90 million. Currently, the federal government covers the full cost of the food benefits.
Payment error rates for states are usually released around the end of June.
States would have to begin paying their share of SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2028. For fiscal year 2029 and the following years, a state’s rate would be calculated from the prior three years’ payment error rates.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Alabama Daily News Tuesday that he’s “good” with the revised SNAP plan because it’s “the only way to get it in there.” He said he would have to look at how much Alabama might have to pay under the plan. Tuberville previously expressed hesitation that Alabama would not be able to afford the additional costs.
Alabama, like other states, will also be responsible for an increased share of SNAP administrative costs, which Alabama Arise estimates to cost the state around $35 million a year.
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, decried the proposed SNAP cuts in a speech on the House floor Tuesday.
“In Alabama, SNAP does more than just provide food for people,” Figures said. “It also supports—as it does across this country—it supports our local grocers, our local grocery stores. All of the statistics show us that SNAP is a net-positive return on the local economy.”
Lawmakers are still racing to meet their July 4 deadline to pass the sweeping legislation.