Florida Children, Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and Rural Floridians Among Those Who Could Lose Food Assistance
Submitted by Sonia Lindell, Florida Policy Institute
STATEWIDE, FL — Over 2.9 million Floridians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could lose some or all of their benefits if congressional leaders move forward with a plan to cut $230 billion or more from the program over nearly 10 years. Although specific details of the cuts are not yet public, some congressional leaders are calling for states to be required to pay a portion of SNAP food benefits for the first time.
To fund a portion of SNAP food benefits, Florida lawmakers would need to raise revenue, cut funding for other state-funded programs and services, cut SNAP benefit levels, restrict program eligibility, or act on some combination of these options. This proposal comes as state economists have already forecast a $2.8 billion deficit in FY 2026-27, which they project will increase to $6.9 billion in FY 2027-28.
While questions remain as to how much states could be required to pay of SNAP food benefit costs, if Congress implemented a new state match of 5% of SNAP benefits, it would cost Florida about $328 million in 2026. A 10% match requirement would cost about $657 million — or more than what the state spent in its FY 2024-25 budget on affordable housing. It would be the first time that the federal government did not fully fund the cost of food benefits, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
These deep federal spending cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other vital services are being pushed to “offset” the costs of extending and expanding tax cuts for the wealthiest residents. The tax cut for households with income in the top 1 percent alone would cost roughly $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Forcing states to help pay SNAP benefits would let federal policymakers enact unpopular cuts while making someone else — state policymakers — decide which participants lose benefits.
“Floridians are already facing barriers to economic self-sufficiency because of the state’s inadequate safety net — the plan to potentially cut $230 billion in food assistance at the federal level at a time when our state is already projecting a deficit over the next three years would be catastrophic,” said Sadaf Knight, CEO of the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute (FPI). “Under the cuts being floated right now in Congress, we could see food insecurity among Florida children and adults skyrocket. The Florida Legislature needs to be fully aware and vocal about the impact these unnecessary and drastic cuts will have on the state budget and their constituents — especially rural Floridians and children.”
In Florida, more than 59% of families participating in SNAP have children, and more than 41% of participating families include seniors or adults with disabilities. Research shows SNAP reduces food insecurity and is linked to improved health, education, and economic outcomes, and to lower medical costs for participants. People living in counties designated as rural by the Florida Department of Health would be hit particularly hard, as they participate in SNAP at higher rates than people in more urban counties.
SNAP benefits are spent at more than 15,100 grocery stores in Florida. Every $1 in additional spending on SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity when households use their benefits to shop at local businesses in their communities.
“We strongly urge Florida’s congressional delegation to actively oppose any proposals that cut SNAP,” added Knight.
FPI is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing state policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians.
