No Hunger: Food Is a Floor

A proposed Core Issue plank for TIP. Last updated October 4, 2026. Dollar amounts, ratios and dates are marked TBA until they are scored.

Still in draft. This plank is a working proposal, not final policy. Every dollar amount, ratio and target date is TBA. TIP has not yet scored the cost and the funding sources. Some facts, such as court cases and enrollment figures, are changing and will be updated.

The short version

No one in America should go hungry, and no one's food help should depend on a lost form, a state budget fight or a zip code. The country already has a program that works: SNAP. It is being cut. About 5 million fewer people received it in June 2026 than a year earlier, and since October 1 states pay three-quarters of the cost of running it, up from half. We will protect SNAP as a floor, keep the 2KUSA dividend from cutting anyone's food aid, count hunger again, and fund food banks as a bridge, never as a replacement.

What is happening now

Fewer people have food help. About 36.4 million people received SNAP in June 2026, 5.3 million (12.8%) fewer than in June 2025, according to USDA data reported by Newsweek. The Food Research & Action Center counts about 5.2 million lost since the law passed in July 2025. Arizona's caseload fell 52% and Texas lost the most people, about 635,000. In the 25 states with data, covering about 60% of participants, 1.2 million fewer children received SNAP, a 13% drop since July 2025 (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). USDA labels its 2026 figures preliminary, and Newsweek notes the declines began in March 2025, before the law passed. USDA told NPR that participation tends to fluctuate and the drop is not due to any one policy, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said part of it is "people taking the program that shouldn't have been, and then a lot of it is just a better economy." CBPP's Katie Bergh answers that unemployment has been flat while food prices rose, so policy is the cause. The Congressional Budget Office expects the work-requirement changes alone to cut participation by 2.4 million in an average month over 2025 to 2034 (NPR).
The rules got stricter. The work requirement, 80 hours a month of work, volunteering or training to keep benefits, now reaches ages 18 to 64 (it was 18 to 54). The law removed exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness and former foster youth, and a child aged 14 or older no longer automatically exempts a parent. Refugees, asylees and trafficking survivors lost eligibility. Waivers of the time limit in high-unemployment areas now apply only where unemployment exceeds 10%, and CBPP, citing the Congressional Budget Office, says about 1 million people who would have been protected by a waiver lose benefits in a typical month. Two benefit-calculation changes can lower amounts: households without an elderly or disabled member lose automatic access to the heating-and-cooling utility deduction, and internet fees can no longer be deducted. Nutrition education funding (SNAP-Ed) ended. All 50 states had put the expanded work requirements in place by June 1, 2026 (FRAC; NPR; Ballotpedia; Deseret News).
States now pay more to run it. Since October 1, 2026, states cover 75% of administrative costs, up from 50%, the split since 1974. USDA estimated $17 billion in added costs to states and counties over five years. As of September 30, 40 states had appropriated money; Arkansas and New Hampshire declined; New York and North Carolina passed the cost to counties (Ballotpedia).
A second shift comes in October 2027. States will also pay part of the benefits themselves, based on payment error rates: nothing below 6%, 5% at 6 to 8%, 10% at 8 to 10%, and 15% above 10% (FRAC). For fiscal 2028 a state may use its 2025 or 2026 rate. The national rate for fiscal 2025 was 10.62%, which USDA counts as $10.1 billion in improper payments, overpayments and underpayments combined. Only nine states were below 6% in fiscal 2025 (Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming). States with very high rates (Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and the District of Columbia) could delay the start to fiscal 2030 if their rates do not improve. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates nearly half of states could each pay at least $100 million (Ballotpedia; NPR).
States may pull back. In a survey of 39 states by the Urban Institute and the American Public Human Services Association, 15 said they were putting payment accuracy ahead of timely benefits, 29% said they may narrow eligibility further, and 11% said they may need to withdraw from SNAP or pause it if the new costs become too heavy. Georgetown's Center on Poverty and Inequality estimates states will spend two to three times more to run it (NPR).
Courts have ruled. Two lawsuits over the 2025 SNAP changes have largely run their course (status as of October 4, 2026). In State of New York v. Rollins, the District of Columbia and 21 states sued USDA over guidance that cut off lawful immigrants the law did not exclude. A federal judge in Oregon blocked USDA from counting those eligibility errors against the states for July 4, 2025 through April 9, 2026, and on September 17, 2026 granted summary judgment to the states, ruling that USDA's October 31, 2025 guidance violated the Administrative Procedure Act and striking it down nationwide, not only in the plaintiff states. The Ninth Circuit dismissed the government's appeal of the earlier injunction on June 15, 2026. As of early October the government had not appealed the final judgment; it has until mid-November 2026 to do so. In Rhode Island State Council of Churches v. Rollins, a federal court in Rhode Island stopped USDA from ending work-requirement waivers early; the waivers ran to their original expiration dates, the case became moot, and it was dismissed on March 3, 2026 without a ruling on the merits. The cost-sharing and work-requirement rules themselves remain in force.
Benefits are capped. The law limits future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the formula behind benefit levels, to changes that cost nothing extra. The October 1 inflation adjustment adds $8 a month for a single person and $29 for a family of four. The 2021 plan, about $835.57 a month for a family of four, is now the permanent baseline, and it cannot be reevaluated before October 1, 2027 (Ballotpedia). The 2025 SNAP changes cut about $187 billion over ten years, according to Congressional Budget Office projections cited by the Peterson Foundation.
Hunger is no longer counted. In 2024, 47.9 million people in 18.3 million households (13.7%) were food insecure, including 18.4% of households with children. USDA ended the annual survey in September 2025, calling it redundant, so the effect of the 2025 cuts will be harder to measure (CBPP; USDA).
Food banks are already stretched. Feeding America says that for every meal its network provides, SNAP provides nine. In March 2025 USDA ended two local food purchase programs, Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools, which together would have provided more than $1 billion in fiscal 2025, and about $500 million in extra emergency food deliveries (TEFAP) was halted. Regular emergency food funding (about $461 million in fiscal 2024) stayed (IPM Newsroom; Associated Press; Food Bank News).

What the evidence says

SNAP reduces poverty. An Urban Institute model found the 2021 SNAP benefit update kept 2.9 million people out of poverty, including 1.3 million children, a 6% reduction. Modeled estimate for 2021.
Childhood access pays off later. A 2016 study by Hoynes, Schanzenbach and Almond, using the county-by-county rollout of food stamps from 1961 to 1975, found that access in childhood led to less metabolic syndrome in adulthood and, for women, greater economic self-sufficiency. Strong design. It studied the old program.
SNAP moves the economy. USDA's Economic Research Service estimates a GDP multiplier of about 1.5: each added dollar of SNAP generates about $1.50 in activity. The National Grocers Association estimates the drop in SNAP shoppers will cut grocery sales by nearly $88 billion through 2034 (NPR). Short-run, 2016 data, and an upper bound for a slowing economy.
Work requirements cut people off, not unemployment. A September 2026 working paper by Cai, Kim and Leung, using linked benefit and employment records from Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey from the period when work requirements were reinstated after the Great Recession, found they cut SNAP participation by about 7% (4.4 points) with no detectable gain in employment or earnings. Arkansas's 2018 Medicaid work requirement raised the uninsured rate and had no measurable employment gain (Urban Institute). The SNAP paper is a new working paper and not yet peer reviewed, and it studies earlier work rules. Arkansas was Medicaid, not SNAP.
The case for the changes. The American Enterprise Institute argues that SNAP caseloads grew beyond what economic conditions explain, that federal benefit costs have nearly doubled since 2007 in constant dollars, and that error rates were 3.20% in 2013 against 43 states above 6% in 2024. It says cost sharing gives states a reason to cut errors. A conservative think tank. Error rates count underpayments as well as overpayments.
Food banks cannot fill the gap. Food banks distributed about 6 billion meals in 2023, while the proposed SNAP cuts would remove about 9.5 billion meals a year (Center for American Progress, citing Feeding America). Food banks in several states report they are already at capacity. Advocacy sources; the direction is consistent across food banks.
Buying restrictions are new and untested. Twenty-two states have approval to bar soda and candy from SNAP purchases, mostly Republican-led states (Civil Eats, March 2026). Recipients, retailers and anti-hunger groups report confusion, and a nutrition group warned the rule does not ensure more healthy options. Early. No outcome evidence found.

How SNAP and 2KUSA work together

Different jobs. SNAP can only buy food, serves children and other people the dividend does not reach, and averages about $187 per person a month (USDA data for June 2026, as reported by The Money Overview). 2KUSA is cash for citizens 18 and older, and its first phase is about $1,200 to $1,270 a month per adult once it begins. It is trigger-based and is not live yet, so this plank does not count on it.
One rule in the law. 2KUSA payments do not count as income or resources when deciding eligibility or amounts for SNAP, Medicaid or housing aid. Without that rule, a person could lose food help because they received the dividend. Guaranteed-income pilots have needed program-by-program exemptions, and the guidance TIP found covers pilots only, so counsel will draft a rule for a permanent dividend.
No swap. SNAP is not replaced by 2KUSA. It stays for children and families. Whether it should continue for adults is revisited only after the dividend reaches its full target and the hunger count shows the floor is holding.

The plan: stops on the itinerary

Every amount, ratio and date below is TBA unless noted, as with the other planks. Each stop names the fixed destination and the flexible route.

Stop 1: Keep SNAP a floor

The destination. SNAP stays an open-ended federal entitlement. Everyone who qualifies gets it, and Washington pays the full cost of the benefits.
The route (flexible). Whether the federal share of administration returns to 50% or goes higher; whether the October 2027 state benefit penalty is repealed or replaced with one that penalizes wrongful overpayments without rewarding wrongful denials; how to treat the delay for states with very high error rates, which critics at the Cato Institute say rewards high error rates.
Who pays. Federal funds from a dedicated source, not counted twice. The 2025 changes cut about $187 billion over ten years (CBO projection) and moved about $3.4 billion a year in administrative cost to states; reversing is not yet scored.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 2: Work help, not work traps

The destination. The 2025 expansion of work requirements is repealed: exemptions return for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth, ages 55 to 64 and parents of teenagers. Job training, child care and transportation are offered, not forced, and the Climate and Tourism Corps is one place a person can choose to work.
The route (flexible). Whether any time limit stays for ages 18 to 54; whether to restore waivers for areas with too few jobs; how job help is offered and by whom.
Who pays. Cost TBA. Paperwork savings offset some of it.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 3: Pay for a real meal

The destination. SNAP benefits track what food actually costs. The Thrifty Food Plan is re-priced on a fixed schedule by USDA's food economists, not frozen by a no-added-cost rule.
The route (flexible). How often; who decides; whether to add a regional price index.
Who pays. Federal. Cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 4: Count hunger

The destination. USDA's annual food insecurity survey is restored and published every year, with state detail, so no one is legislating blind.
The route (flexible). Whether USDA or the Census Bureau runs it; the state detail.
Who pays. Low cost. Not yet estimated.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 5: SNAP and 2KUSA work together

The destination. 2KUSA payments never count as income or resources for SNAP, Medicaid or housing aid, and SNAP is not cut because someone receives the dividend.
The route (flexible). Statute versus rule; whether it sits in the 2KUSA law itself.
Who pays. Scored with 2KUSA so the same dollars are not counted twice.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 6: Food banks as a bridge

The destination. Federal emergency food funding is restored and made steady, with money for cold storage, trucks and kitchens, plus a surge fund that turns on automatically when SNAP caseloads fall sharply or states shift costs. Food banks are never used as a reason to cut SNAP.
The route (flexible). What triggers the surge fund and how big it is; whether the Corps builds the cold-chain and kitchen capacity.
Who pays. Federal. The 2025 cuts were more than $1 billion across several programs, a reference point and not a score.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 7: Feed every child

The destination. Every child is fed at school, in the summer and in early childhood, and school meal funding does not shrink when SNAP enrollment falls. See the Education plank, Stop 11.
The route (flexible). Summer program model; WIC; how schools and pantries connect.
Who pays. Scored with the Education plank, so the same dollars are not counted twice.
Target date. TBA.

Stop 8: Healthy food within reach

The destination. Healthy food costs less: incentives that match produce purchases and support for grocery stores in food deserts.
The route (flexible). Whether restrictions on soda and candy stay, expand or end. This decision is not made.
Who pays. Cost TBA.
Target date. TBA.

Hard questions

"Isn't SNAP full of fraud and errors?" The error rate is high: 10.62% nationally in fiscal 2025, about $10.1 billion. It counts underpayments as well as overpayments, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says it largely reflects unintentional mistakes by state workers and families, not fraud. USDA counts about $10 billion as improper. The plank keeps accountability for accuracy but does not make states pay for it by cutting people off.
"Don't work requirements move people into jobs?" The research TIP found says they mostly move people off the rolls. A five-state working paper found no gain in employment or earnings, and Arkansas's Medicaid work requirement raised the uninsured rate with no job gain. Supporters, such as the American Enterprise Institute, argue the program has work disincentives. The plank offers job help instead of a penalty.
"Can't food banks and charities handle it?" Food banks say no. By Feeding America's count, SNAP provides nine meals for every one its network provides. The plank funds food banks as a bridge, not a substitute.
"Won't 2KUSA make SNAP unnecessary?" Not yet, and not for children. 2KUSA is for adults 18 and older and its first phase is not live. SNAP stays; the plank revisits adults only after the dividend reaches its target and hunger is measured.
"Why should Washington pay, not the states?" SNAP works as an automatic stabilizer: federal money flows in when a recession hits. States must balance their budgets and cannot do that, so cost shifts push them to cut help when it is needed most.
"Shouldn't SNAP ban soda and candy?" Twenty-two states now have approval to try it. The evidence is early and recipients and stores report confusion. The plank funds healthy-food incentives and leaves the restriction question open until there is outcome evidence.
"Do undocumented immigrants get SNAP?" No. USDA says SNAP eligibility has never been extended to undocumented non-citizens, and this plank does not change that. A U.S.-citizen child in a mixed-status family can receive benefits for that child; the parent cannot, though the parent can apply for the child and the parent's income is counted (Illinois Legal Aid). NPR reports that almost all recipients are native-born or naturalized citizens, and fact-checkers using USDA fiscal 2023 data put non-citizens at about 4 to 5 percent, all of them lawfully present. The 2025 law narrowed the lawfully present groups: refugees, asylees, parolees and trafficking survivors lost eligibility, while permanent residents who meet the conditions and a few other groups remain eligible (USDA, October 2025 guidance). TIP's position: SNAP stays for citizens and eligible lawfully present immigrants, and no one is added or removed by this plank.
"Who pays?" A dedicated federal source not yet chosen, separate from 2KUSA, Medicare for All, housing and the Education plank. Until it is scored, there is no dollar figure.

Still to be set (TBA)

The federal share of SNAP administration. Whether and how to replace the state benefit penalty. Whether any time limit stays for ages 18 to 54. The Thrifty Food Plan update schedule. Who runs the hunger survey. The food bank surge-fund trigger and size. Summer and WIC details. Whether SNAP buying restrictions stay, expand or end. Whether SNAP continues for adults once 2KUSA reaches its target. All target dates. TIP will publish the scoring when it exists.

Sources

NPR: Over 4 million people are no longer receiving food aid, August 3, 2026 (npr.org); Ballotpedia: implementation of SNAP provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (ballotpedia.org); Newsweek and The Money Overview: SNAP enrollment, June 2026 (newsweek.com; themoneyoverview.com); FRAC SNAP participation dashboard (frac.org); CBPP: children's SNAP participation (cbpp.org); WISN: SNAP recipients fall 13% nationwide (wisn.com); Deseret News: SNAP changes, October 1, 2026 (deseret.com); WFDD: federal changes shift costs to states and counties, October 2, 2026 (wfdd.org)
Ballotpedia: forty states have appropriated funds for the SNAP administrative cost share, October 1, 2026 (news.ballotpedia.org); FRAC: shifting the burden (frac.org)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service: FY 2025 state payment error rates, June 2026 (fna.usda.gov); Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: 2024 food insecurity and the end of the survey (cbpp.org); USDA: termination of the food insecurity survey, September 2025 (usda.gov)
Peter G. Peterson Foundation: What is SNAP? and How did the One Big Beautiful Bill Act affect federal spending? (pgpf.org); American Enterprise Institute: perspective on the SNAP cuts (aei.org)
Urban Institute: SNAP increase kept 2.9 million people out of poverty; Arkansas Medicaid work requirement (urban.org); Hoynes, Schanzenbach and Almond, American Economic Review, 2016 (aeaweb.org); USDA Economic Research Service, SNAP and the economy, ERR-265 (ers.usda.gov)
Cai, Kim and Leung, Screening Out the Needy: the effects of SNAP work requirements, working paper, September 2026 (arxiv.org); IPM Newsroom: USDA ends local food programs, March 2025 (ipmnewsroom.org); Center for American Progress: SNAP cuts and food banks (americanprogress.org); Food Bank News: federal funding cuts (foodbanknews.org); Civil Eats: SNAP soda and candy waivers, March 2026 (civileats.com)
USDA Food and Nutrition Service: SNAP Guidance on Non-Citizen Eligibility (fns.usda.gov); USDA FNS guidance on Section 10108 alien eligibility, October 31, 2025 (usda.gov); Illinois Legal Aid Online: Food stamps or SNAP benefits for immigrants (illinoislegalaid.org); Factually: share of non-citizens in SNAP, USDA FY2023 data (factually.co).