How SNAP benefits may be affected by President Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Millions of people each year rely on supplemental nutrition assistance, also known as SNAP benefits, to feed themselves and their families.

Although many are raising the question of how these benefits will change with President Trump’s new federal budget bill.

“We hear that a lot of people are pretty panicked,” said Carol Gundlach. “They think they’re going to lose their snap benefits.”

Gundlach is a senior policy analyst with Alabama Arise. They are a nonprofit that advocates on poverty-related issues.

“For the first time in history, the federal government is asking the states, or telling the states more accurately, that the states have to pay for some SNAP assistance,” she said.

She said Alabama Arise anticipates the change will cost taxpayers in Alabama millions of dollars. 

“These are folks who are already struggling, so where are we going to come up with the money to feed these families?” she said.

Gundlach said they anticipate work requirements will increase and some will lose access to benefits as a direct response to this. 

“We’re increasing the paperwork for people with children,” she said. “We’re increasing the paperwork for the state, and we’re increasing paperwork for senior citizens, all for no particularly good reason other than to drive people off the program.”

Brandon Hardin is the Director of Food Assistance for Alabama within the Department of Human Resources. 

He said they also anticipate increased costs to the state.

“They’ll be significant cost to the state,” Hardin said. “We actually are waiting on those regulations to come down to see what they are, but we refer to any kind of budget considerations to our state legislative budget chairs.”

Although the new changes will not go into effect for a few years, DHR is encouraging you to continue applying for the assistance you need.

“We just encourage individuals if they think they are eligible to apply, and we’ll work with them on any of these new requirements,” he said. “We actually just ask them to pay attention to legislation that might affect them.”