TULSA, Okla. — New changes being proposed to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could put states like Oklahoma under stress and weaken the program that many families use.
One of the proposals is to give some SNAP benefit costs to states in 2028. This would cost Oklahoma $75 million to $375 million annually, depending on how everything is calculated.
“SNAP is the most effective, efficient, and essential antihunger program in the country, not just for families but for local economies,” said Chris Bernard, CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma. “These proposals don’t fix anything. The proposals are not about efficiency or effectiveness; they are simply designed to push people off or keep people from accessing a benefit in order to reach an arbitrary number of cost reductions.”
Bernard said the proposed changes would punish states with less resources and undermine one of the core aspects of the program: being able to respond to economic conditions.
“Under this cost-sharing plan, states would be required to contribute more during economic downturns—precisely when they face declining revenue and increased pressure to cut spending,” said Bernard.
Another suggested change includes raising the state’s share of SNAP administrative costs from 50 percent to 75 percent.
Hunger Free Oklahoma said this would increase costs and result in a high turnover of eligibility staff due to them being typically underpaid.
Other changes proposed to SNAP include limiting benefits, more work requirements, utility and internet deduction changes, nutrition education funding cuts and punitive error penalties.
Specifically, if these changes are made, people may see major changes in their benefits such as updates to the Thrifty Food Plan being paused, the age for work requirements being raised from 49 to 64 and redefining what a dependent child is.
Beyond these, other changes could include the SNAP-Ed program’s funding being taken, placing thousands of Oklahoma families in a position in which they are unable to make healthier food choices.
“These proposals would penalize states with smaller tax bases and create more barriers for families already struggling to make ends meet,” Bernard said. “SNAP works. Undermining it through punitive state cost shares and benefit limitations only takes food off the table of thousands of Oklahomans.”
