As election season approaches, rumors spread about possible candidates and the policies they might support. The possible end of food stamps is a very important issue that should not be ignored, since more than 42.5 million people count on government food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Heritage Foundation made Project 2025 with the goal of adopting the right-wing policy suggestions during a future Trump presidency. These suggestions have gotten so much attention that former President Donald Trump felt compelled to talk about them. Through its many programs, Project 2025 tries to cut down on the number of people who can get school meals and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is also known as food stamps.
Project 2025 Food Stamps
It is the goal of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help low-income families afford healthy meals. SNAP benefits cover a lot of different things, not just basic foods. For example, they cover live fish, bottled water, meal replacement shakes, protein powders, and plant seeds.
Project 2025 could make changes to SNAP, the federal program that helps low-income people buy food for themselves and their families. More people who get Project 2025 Food Stamps might have to meet work requirements before they can get their payouts.
Project 2025- proposed changes for SNAP benefits
If SNAP benefits are changed, it will be harder for people to get help from this program.
SNAP is the largest food support program in the country. It helps more than 40 million people each month, which is more than 10% of the population.
The foundation also wants to undo the changes made by the Biden administration that raised SNAP payments over ten years to keep up with the rising cost of food.
The foundation wants Trump to make it harder for states to get exemptions from SNAP job standards. These exemptions are given to make sure people can get food stamps when unemployment is high.
A group of states and D.C. sued the Trump administration for trying to make the same change it did in its first term.
At the time, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) thought that the changes would mean that about 688,000 people would lose their SNAP funds.
Also, the foundation would want to make it harder for people to get SNAP benefits if they get help from Temporary Support for Needy Families, which is another government funded program.
The plan would bring back to life yet another unfinished project from the Trump administration.
At the time, the USDA said that the change would have hurt families with at least one elderly person the most, which would have touched 3.1 million people, or 9% of SNAP recipients.
What’s Happening With SNAP Currently?
President Joe Biden just signed a bill into law that stops the national debt from growing until January 1, 2025. The bill was supported by both Democrats and Republicans. The only big change this law made was adding new rules to the SNAP program. New rules say that SNAP participants must now show proof of work if they are between the ages of 18 and 54, up from 18 to 49 before.
In reality, this move could mean that many Americans in their early 50s who are having trouble with money and do not have any dependents or disabilities will no longer be able to get food stamps. According to a study by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, about 250,000 people between the ages of 50 and 54 are expected to lose their benefits.
The most recent bill adds more exceptions. Veterans, people who are homeless of any age, and people under 25 who were in foster care before they turned 25 are not eligible. The CBO thought that that the new restrictions would lead to about 78,000 more people applying for food stamps. All of these terms will end in October 2030.
What Might Happen to SNAP If Trump Is Reelected?
Even though Trump has not said anything about food stamps, there is no reason to think that his government would not try to pass a law similar to the one that was first proposed in 2019. Based on what the USDA says, the law that was passed in 2025 would have saved the government $5.5 billion over five years.
People did not like Trump’s first food stamp bill because it was thought to be too expensive for most Americans. Given the recent rise in inflation and greater economic uncertainty, any plan to cut back on the SNAP program would almost certainly be met with outrage.
Several close friends of Trump are said to be the front-runners for vice president. Even though no one connected to Trump has brought it up, the Republican party has traditionally focused on trying to get Americans back to work.
A news report says that if Republicans’ plan to make it harder for nearly a million Americans to join the program comes to fruition, it will be harder for them to do so. At the time, it was said that the Biden administration would block the plan if it passed Congress. On the other hand, if Trump is re-elected, his government might support a similar rule.