H.R.1 Federal Reconciliation Bill
Food Gatherers is deeply concerned about the impact of the federal bill signed into law on July 4, 2025, that significantly cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
This new law includes nearly $200 million in cuts to SNAP and will eliminate the equivalent of around 6 billion meals each year based on preliminary estimates. This new law also includes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and will strip health care coverage from at least 8 million people from Medicaid alone.
These cuts are a significant setback for people and communities facing barriers to accessing the food and resources they need to thrive. At a time when food insecurity is rising nationwide, this legislation threatens to worsen the crisis, particularly for families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities in our community – people who work to overcome challenges and build better lives but are now at greater risk of falling through the cracks.
Food Gatherers will continue our daily work—helping neighbors in Washtenaw County put nutritious food on their tables. We are steadfast in this commitment even though we know this law will make this task harder in the coming months and years.
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What do we know?
We are still working to understand the details of what is included in the recent federal bill that was signed into law, but here are preliminary updates:
SNAP Cost Shift to States:
The law would shift a portion of benefit costs to states, risking funding gaps that hurt communities or lead to cuts in food assistance programs that make it harder for neighbors to access food. Specifically, the law will require states to pay a portion of SNAP benefits for the first time in program history, up to 15% based on their payment error rates.
Expansion of the Time Limit for SNAP:
The law will increase the already burdensome paperwork requirements for SNAP recipients. This includes increasing the number of individuals subject to time limits on their SNAP benefits, including, for the first time ever, parents of school-aged children aged 14 and older, and older adults from 55 through 64 by expanding work requirements and restricting waivers.
Thrifty Food Plan:
The law limits future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit levels. This would slowly reduce support over time, even as food prices remain high. This will impact SNAP benefits as well as future benefit levels for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Summer EBT benefits, and the Nutrition Assistance Program block-grant to Puerto Rico.
SNAP-Ed:
The law limits eliminates funding for SNAP-Ed, the long-standing program that funds nutrition education in communities. The funding for this program ended Sept 30, 2025. Many SNAP-Ed providers are winding down activities with remaining funding.