As states begin shouldering a much larger share of SNAP’s administrative costs, the program is entering a significant new phase that could have implications for state budgets, program administration and access to food assistance.
Taking effect today, states will be responsible for 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs, up from the previous 50%, while federal funding for those costs is cut in half. Additional changes beginning in 2027 could require states to contribute toward SNAP benefits themselves based on error rates.
George Washington University experts can help explain what these changes mean for states, SNAP recipients and the broader food-assistance system. If you would like to schedule an interview, please contact Katelyn Deckelbaum, katelyn [dot] deckelbaum
gwu [dot] edu (katelyn[dot]deckelbaum[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Leighton Ku, a professor of health policy and management and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at GW, is an expert on the Affordable Care Act, access to healthcare and Medicaid.
Priya Fielding-Singh is the director of Policy and Programs at the Global Food Institute. She was part of a report recently released: One Year Later: How H.R. 1's SNAP Policy Changes Are Reverberating Across the Food System that examines the first year following the enactment of H.R. 1. It concludes that the law represents the most significant restructuring of SNAP in the program's 50-year history and has far reaching implications across the entire food safety net.
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