Pennsylvania Taxpayers Could Be on the Hook for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Fund SNAP Benefits to Help Pay for Trump’s Tax Cuts for the Wealthy
By Erin Flynn Jay
Excerpt:
“For Pennsylvania, the approximate 2028 cost shift amount based on the FY 2025 error rate is $410 million,” said Teon Hayes, senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy. “However, the actual cost shift amount will depend on each state’s FY 2025 OR 2026 error rate, as well as anticipated SNAP benefit costs in FY 2028. Therefore, this estimate is not final and could definitely change.”
This is likely to be one of the most significant consequences of the new law.
“States are required to balance their budgets, so absorbing new SNAP benefit costs means those dollars to support the program have to come from somewhere,” said Hayes. “This could potentially lead to stricter eligibility rules, reduced benefit amounts, or both. States will have to make difficult decisions about reducing spending in other areas or finding ways to lower program costs.”
Some states may also look for ways to reduce administrative costs or limit participation, which could make it more difficult for eligible households to access nutrition assistance. The Center for Law and Social Policy is already seeing evidence of this concern, as SNAP participation has declined by more than 4 million people since last July.
“This decline is not because people no longer need assistance or because food insecurity has disappeared,” said Hayes. “Rather, it reflects the growing barriers families are facing in accessing a program designed to support them.”
