USDA proposes ending automatic SNAP eligibility, which could cut 6.3 million people

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new rules that would end automatic qualification for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps, for millions of people. The proposal is set to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the government's daily record of new rules. ¹

By USDA's own estimate, the change would remove automatic eligibility from 3.2 million households, or 6.3 million individuals. ¹ The department projects savings of more than $44 billion over the five years from 2027 to 2031. ¹

What the rule would change

The policy at issue is called Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, or BBCE. It lets a household qualify for SNAP because it receives a benefit or service funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a cash welfare program. In some cases that service is a noncash item, such as a support hotline or an informational pamphlet. ¹

BBCE applies in 46 states. Many of those states use it to set higher income limits and drop asset limits. If the rule is adopted, SNAP would be granted automatically only to households receiving traditional TANF cash assistance. ¹

From Channel GOPWarnock: they prayed, then cut healthcare and SNAPSenator, Reverend Raphael Warnock · 136 plays · captioned, with the source named

USDA says BBCE has expanded over the past 10 years and has strayed from what Congress intended. The proposal says there have been cases of millionaires receiving SNAP, and calls it "irresponsible to Congress and the taxpayer to support regulations that permit this practice." ¹

A second proposal on work rules

USDA also filed a companion proposal to write the work-requirement changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 into rule. It would extend the three-month time limit for adults who do not meet work requirements to people up to age 64, rather than 55. ¹

Parents would be exempt only if they have a child under 14. Until now, parents of children under 18 were exempt. The proposal also ends temporary exceptions for homeless adults, veterans and young adults who have aged out of foster care. ¹

What Democrats say

Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, urged House Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the changes. ¹

This move by the Trump administration to take food assistance away from millions more elderly Americans and children is heartless and cruel.

The change could also reach children. Children in SNAP households automatically qualify for free school breakfast and lunch, so losing SNAP could indirectly cost millions of students free meals. ¹

What happens next

USDA will take public comments on both proposals for 30 days before deciding how to proceed. ¹ State agencies would face more work if the rule is adopted, because they would have to check the income and assets of potentially millions of people who now qualify automatically. ¹

This is not the first try. The first Trump administration proposed similar changes in 2019, and the Biden administration withdrew them in 2021. ¹ In 2019, the Agriculture Secretary at the time, Sonny Perdue, said the plan "better aligns SNAP with other means-tested programs nationwide." ²

That matters for older readers. The anti-hunger group Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) cited a 2019 projection that 600,000 adults aged 60 and older would have lost SNAP under that earlier version. FRAC says it will publish its own analysis once USDA releases its numbers. ³ The 2026 figures for older adults have not yet been published in the coverage reviewed.

The Record

1. Jul 23, 2019The first Trump administration proposed tightening broad-based categorical eligibility, which USDA then estimated could remove up to 3 million people from SNAP ²
2. Jan 1, 2021Newsweek reports the 2019 changes were withdrawn in 2021 under President Joe Biden (exact date not given) ¹
3. Nov 10, 2026USDA's proposal to end BBCE is set to be published in the Federal Register, with a 30-day comment period ¹

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<h2>USDA proposes ending automatic SNAP eligibility, which could cut 6.3 million people</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/usda-proposes-ending-automatic-snap-eligibility-which-could-cut-6-3-million-people">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.</em></p> <p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new rules that would end automatic qualification for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps, for millions of people. The proposal is set to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the government&#39;s daily record of new rules.</p> <p>By USDA&#39;s own estimate, the change would remove automatic eligibility from 3.2 million households, or 6.3 million individuals. The department projects savings of more than $44 billion over the five years from 2027 to 2031.</p> <h2>What the rule would change</h2> <p>The policy at issue is called Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, or BBCE. It lets a household qualify for SNAP because it receives a benefit or service funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a cash welfare program. In some cases that service is a noncash item, such as a support hotline or an informational pamphlet.</p> <p>BBCE applies in 46 states. Many of those states use it to set higher income limits and drop asset limits. If the rule is adopted, SNAP would be granted automatically only to households receiving traditional TANF cash assistance.</p> <p>USDA says BBCE has expanded over the past 10 years and has strayed from what Congress intended. The proposal says there have been cases of millionaires receiving SNAP, and calls it &quot;irresponsible to Congress and the taxpayer to support regulations that permit this practice.&quot;</p> <h2>A second proposal on work rules</h2> <p>USDA also filed a companion proposal to write the work-requirement changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 into rule. It would extend the three-month time limit for adults who do not meet work requirements to people up to age 64, rather than 55.</p> <p>Parents would be exempt only if they have a child under 14. Until now, parents of children under 18 were exempt. The proposal also ends temporary exceptions for homeless adults, veterans and young adults who have aged out of foster care.</p> <h2>What Democrats say</h2> <p>Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, urged House Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the changes.</p> <blockquote><p>This move by the Trump administration to take food assistance away from millions more elderly Americans and children is heartless and cruel.</p><p>&mdash; Angie Craig, U.S. Representative, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, Democrat-Minnesota</p></blockquote> <p>The change could also reach children. Children in SNAP households automatically qualify for free school breakfast and lunch, so losing SNAP could indirectly cost millions of students free meals.</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>USDA will take public comments on both proposals for 30 days before deciding how to proceed. State agencies would face more work if the rule is adopted, because they would have to check the income and assets of potentially millions of people who now qualify automatically.</p> <p>This is not the first try. The first Trump administration proposed similar changes in 2019, and the Biden administration withdrew them in 2021. In 2019, the Agriculture Secretary at the time, Sonny Perdue, said the plan &quot;better aligns SNAP with other means-tested programs nationwide.&quot;</p> <p>That matters for older readers. The anti-hunger group Food Research &amp; Action Center (FRAC) cited a 2019 projection that 600,000 adults aged 60 and older would have lost SNAP under that earlier version. FRAC says it will publish its own analysis once USDA releases its numbers. The 2026 figures for older adults have not yet been published in the coverage reviewed.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/usda-proposes-ending-automatic-snap-eligibility-which-could-cut-6-3-million-people">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/usda-proposes-ending-automatic-snap-eligibility-which-could-cut-6-3-million-people.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “New SNAP Rule Could See 6.3 Million People Lose Benefits” (2026-11-10). newsweek.com/usda-seeks-tighten-food-stamps-criteria-rule-ch
2. Agri-Pulse, “USDA moves to tighten SNAP eligibility, affecting 3 million” (2019-07-23). agri-pulse.com/articles/12437-usda-moves-to-tighten-snap-eli
3. Food Research & Action Center, “USDA proposal to end broad-based categorical eligibility for SNAP would increase hunger for families and children” (2026-06-12). frac.org/blog/usda-proposal-to-end-broad-based-categorical-e

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