On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate updated its budget proposal that, like the House budget resolution, plans to extend tax cuts for very wealthy Americans. While the Senate resolution also plans to cut federal spending, it would allow for a $5.8 trillion deficit increase over the coming 10 years. The competing House budget resolution, on the other hand, is taking a different approach to balancing the budget while paying for tax cuts - decreasing social spending significantly.
While the two versions now need to be aligned in what is called the budget reconciliation process and the outcome is unclear, spending cuts are likely to happen and could include, according to the House version, $880 billion to Medicaid and $230 billion to House Agriculture Committee Programs, mainly SNAP food assistance until 2034.
Calculations by The Century Foundation show in which states children would be most affected by the SNAP cuts due to a higher number of families depending on the benefits there. Families with children in the U.S. and elsewhere are much more likely to experience poverty, leading to around 40 percent of SNAP recipients being children. The rates of children on SNAP are highest in the states of New Mexico at more than 34 percent, Louisiana at almost 29 percent and West Virginia at more than 26 percent. But in states like Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, more than 20 percent of children receive SNAP benefits as well. The highest absolute impact would be felt in states that are both big and rural, like Texas, North Carolina and Ohio.
The report said that the effect of a major cut to SNAP would be felt most in rural communities, which tend to be more food insecure. Farmers and retailers would also be affected by a major decrease in the American public's purchasing power. SNAP is also believed to uphold 245,000 U.S. jobs and $9 billion in annual wages.
