Still no guidance from USDA on the SNAP cost-shift provisions. Cool cool cool.
Lauren Bauer
@laurenhlb.bsky.social
Fellow | Economic Studies | @brookings.edu Associate Director | @hamiltonproject.org Board | @mazonusa.bsky.social www.hamiltonproject.org Working to end hunger in America laurenhlb.01
I am collecting anecdata on how declining enrollment is actually happening...
Katie Bergh@katiebergh.bsky.social · 2w agoBetween October 2024 & March 2026, Arizona denied more than half of the households applying or recertifying for SNAP for failing to complete the required interview. But it wasn't for lack of trying: during that period, more than 3 million calls to the state's overwhelmed call center were dropped.
FYI - @betseystevenson.bsky.social has a @hamiltonproject.org proposal that adds earned time off to FLSA. It’s a great idea with 90 percent+ support. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
A federal guarantee for earned paid time off - The Hamilton Project
Betsey Stevenson proposes a federal earned paid time off policy that would apply to all workers and all types of leave.
hamiltonproject.org
Senator Chris Van Hollen@vanhollen.senate.gov · 3w agoThis Labor Day, if you've ever benefited from: — The weekend — 40-hour work weeks — Workplace safety standards — A minimum wage — Paid time off thank a union. Unions don’t just improve working conditions for their members, they help every American worker. Happy Labor Day!
Scandalous.
Jessica Kutz @jkutzie.bsky.social · 3w agoI spoke to three moms who lost all of the food in their fridge and freezer during the blackout in Gary Indiana. They all had their replacement SNAP benefits denied. Experts told me they are concerned about how the state is operating the program after the disaster. 19thnews.org/2026/09/gary...
Important story about the most important knock on effect to the decimation of SNAP …
NPR@npr.org · 3w agoFood stamps have a direct link to other critical resources, such as free breakfast and lunch at school. Now, experts say they're starting to see that link break. n.pr/4d0MUOj
The SNAP state cost-shift policy is basically a coin flip. New from our board member and @brookings.edu fellow, @laurenhlb.bsky.social a state's bill could swing from $0 to over $2 billion, based on chance, not performance. States may be forced to cut SNAP or drop it. Congress should fully fund.
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance | Brookings
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
brookings.edu
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OBBBA shifts a portion of SNAP benefit costs onto states, based on a given state’s “payment error rate.” @laurenhlb.bsky.social and Diane Schanzenbach estimate what share states would have been required to pay in FY2026 under this policy—and find that state outcomes vary widely, randomly.
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
hamiltonproject.org
And restore full federal funding of SNAP benefits?
Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · 4w agoWhat @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social told me the House agenda will be next year if Democrats win —Reverse Trump’s Medicaid cuts —Extend expired ACA tax credits —Restore Congress’s authority on tariffs —“Decisively” end the Iran war Beyond that: “We’ve established five working groups on affordability”
Spoke with @marketplace.org about SNAP's anniversary and the potential end to a national food assistance program. Factcheck true.
The Hamilton Project@hamiltonproject.org · 4w ago"Enrollment in the SNAP program is continuing to decline in every state, and what we are seeing here is the potential for states to drop out of the program entirely.” Listen to @laurenhlb.bsky.social, today on @marketplace.org:
Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the Food Stamp Act, which permanently authorized the Food Stamp Program, now known as SNAP. Today SNAP faces cuts that threaten the program's existence, @laurenhlb.bsky.social and Diane Schanzenbach warn in a new Hamilton Project analysis.
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
hamiltonproject.org
Poor and purposeful timing to have pulled down national food insecurity measurement.
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4w agoAg prices getting a ton of attention this week — amid bottlenecks in Ukraine, Hormuz, and now, El Niño. JPMorgan this month said “global food inflation is set to rise from 2.8% in 1H26 to 5.0% in 1H27 ..” substack.com/@tavicosta?r...
A policy that could cause states to drop out of the SNAP program entirely should not be left to chance (literally) - which is exactly what Diane Schanzenbach and my new piece on SNAP Payment Error Rates and the OBBBA cost shift finds. Read all about it here: www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
hamiltonproject.org
There are many problems with the SNAP cost shift to states. Here’s a big one: it means that billions of state dollars — and potentially some states’ ability to continue SNAP at all — will essentially be coming down to chance.
Lauren Bauer@laurenhlb.bsky.social · last mo.New analysis from me & Diane Schanzenbach, possibly my favorite piece ever: We study the SNAP payment error rate and explain why tying how much a state will have to contribute toward SNAP payments to its PER is inherently empirically unstable. Remand. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
New analysis from me & Diane Schanzenbach, possibly my favorite piece ever: We study the SNAP payment error rate and explain why tying how much a state will have to contribute toward SNAP payments to its PER is inherently empirically unstable. Remand. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
So glad all these ill-conceived and ineffective work requirement policies are kicking in. (SARCASM)
Justin Wolfers@justinwolfers.bsky.social · 2mo agoHere's why this is so grim. Folks expected jobs growth to slow to +80k, but we got -23k. Also downward revisions to the last two months subtracted a total of -103k. So over the past three months, the US economy created about -200k fewer jobs than we had thought.
Others are arguing for a clean two-year delay. Fine. But I need to be clear: A farm bill that does not restore full federal funding for SNAP benefits isn't worth the paper it's marked up on. The cost shift onto states under OBBBA is a mistake. Fix it. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will significantly impair recession response - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach analyze how SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect the program’s response to recessions.
hamiltonproject.org
SNAP benefits should be fully federally funded. The cost shift delay should turn into repeal. Any sweeteners that validate that the cost shift is going to happen are sour.
This week the Senate Ag Committee considers a "Farm Bill" that could end SNAP altogether in some states. Time to be "Alabama honest," says MAZON board member Lauren Bauer: the payment error rate isn't fraud, it's paperwork. Congress must delay the cost shift and fully fund SNAP.
It’s Time to be 'Alabama Honest' About SNAP Cuts - MAZON
By Lauren Bauer, Member of MAZON’s Board of Directors This Thursday, the Senate Agriculture Committee will mark up the Farm Bill, which includes a one-year delay and even higher penalties for the SNAP...
mazon.org
I wrote a short piece for @mazonusa.bsky.social on why it's important that Alabama's state government and Alabamians are being honest about the likely consequence of the SNAP cost shift: dropping out of the program. It's short - please read! mazon.org/news/its-tim...
The timing/sequencing issues with the SNAP cost shift are only one of the worst aspects of the policy design. The second worst aspect is the incentive to drop eligible participants. The first worst aspect is that whole states are going to drop out of the program entirely.
Katie Bergh@katiebergh.bsky.social · 2mo agoThis is key: Chair Boozman says this gives "additional time to strengthen administration of SNAP benefits and reduce payment error rates." It does not. The cost shift would still be based on error rates for this fiscal year — so the window to make progress has largely closed.
Awesome job alert: The Center on Poverty and Social Policy is hiring for a (PhD-holding) research director to manage a national, state, and NYC policy portfolio and supervise their analysts. Apply here: povertycenter.columbia.edu/lead-our-res... #econsky
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Foresight is infuriating in this case. Congress?
Katie Bergh@katiebergh.bsky.social · 2mo agoAnd here’s the entirely foreseeable result of a law that imposes massive penalties if states give families the wrong amount of SNAP benefits, but no penalties if they make it virtually impossible for eligible families to get benefits in the first place.
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
This is entirely unsurprising,but still important to track and take note of. Work requirements and other high hurdles of paperwork keep eligible people who need support from accessing benefits. Kids will go hungry. We could all see it coming. Doesn’t make it less horrible.
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2mo agoPage One. @nytimes.com
Well it took two more weeks and a New York Times front page story, but I'm delighted to see the internet talking about the devastating (and reversible with political will and serious effort) cuts to SNAP.
Lauren Bauer@laurenhlb.bsky.social · 3mo agoMillions of people are losing access to food benefits right now for literally no good reason and I wish more people were aware and talking about it. www.cbpp.org/research/foo... (As opposed to or at least in addition to the other stuff.)
Congress desperately needs to re-assert control over tariff (tax) policy, by getting rid of these old laws that everyone assumed no one would use. Our system is not intended to let one person raise taxes on a whim.
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2mo ago“.. The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos ..” @apnews.com apnews.com/article/trum...
NEW: A year after H.R. 1 enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history, the number of children receiving SNAP nationwide has likely dropped by more than 1.5 million, based on our analysis of available data from 17 states. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Republican Megabill Is Implemented
SNAP participation nationwide fell by more than 4 million people (nearly 10 percent) between the law’s July 2025 enactment and March 2026, based on the latest month of data.
cbpp.org