Minnesota food aid at risk: 45,000 residents may lose SNAP benefits due to federal bill

A budget bill passed by Congress on Tuesday with billions in cuts to federal nutrition programs will strain the ability of Minnesota agencies and local food banks to help families in need, officials say.

The massive spending package, a priority of the Trump administration, includes $186 billion in cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over 10 years. Although the Senate version scaled back the $300 billion in cuts in the House version, the loss in funding could still affect as many as 40 million Americans, including 16 million children.

The bill contains $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, including an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax breaks for the wealthiest households. Republicans included cuts to safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid to offset the tax cuts and new spending.

The bill increases work requirements to be eligible for SNAP, eliminates eligibility for legally admitted immigrants and shifts a percentage of the cost burden to the states.

House Speaker Mike Johnson argued that the changes are not cuts but efforts to reduce fraud and waste through better administration of SNAP, but Minnesota advocates like Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director of The Food Group, call them a “sneaky way of kicking out more people from the program.”

Lenarz-Coy said SNAP is the most effective way that people are fed, and the impacts of the cuts from Republicans in Congress will have impacts “along racial lines, and [on] those who have been historically disinvested in.”

The Food Group is a nonprofit food bank that provides culturally specific foods and farm-grown produce to over 200 food shelves in Minnesota.

About 440,000 Minnesotans receive SNAP benefits each month. About 45,000 would be at risk of losing their benefits altogether, according to an analysis of the House version by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Michelle Ness, executive director of Prism, which runs a marketplace food shelf in Golden Valley, says SNAP — along with food shelves and meal programs — are pieces in a patchwork of resources available to those experiencing food insecurity.

“SNAP allows a very dignified way for people to go to the grocery store just like anyone else and be able to get the items that they need,” Ness said. “The proposed changes in this bill are extremely restrictive for those receiving these services, and financially shifts a great deal of the burden to the state.”

For Minnesota, which is already facing a budget deficit in coming years according to the state’s latest economic forecast, the state will need to make up the loss of $220 million in federal dollars. If state officials can’t find the funds to close that gap, that will ultimately mean cuts to how many people receive benefits, said Shaneen Moore, deputy assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families.

“We’re going to have to determine who will be eligible for the program, so I could potentially see reductions across the board in serving children, seniors and [adults with disabilities],” she said. “We will have to make some really tough decisions on how we would move forward with our program in our state.”

One in 10 Minnesotans face food insecurity, per a 2023 report on food insecurity by Feeding America. One in 13 Minnesotans depend on SNAP benefits for food assistance, and out of those, more than 62% are families with children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Moore said the cuts come at a tenuous time as the growing cost of groceries in recent years increase the risk of food insecurity, causing more people to apply for SNAP or use food shelves, which saw 9 million visits across the state last year. The loss of those funds will also put a massive strain on Minnesota’s food system as a whole, she said.

“With the cost of living continuing to increase, we are continuing to see more people need the support of SNAP,” Moore said. “With these cuts, that just means that there’s going to be additional people that will be applying for service[s], and if that service can’t be maintained through SNAP, then that means there’s going to be added pressure onto our food shelves and our food networks for individuals who are also experiencing similar concerns.”