In New Hampshire, anti-hunger advocates and charities have been bracing for federal cuts to food assistance programs even as the charitable food system is already straining to meet the need amid high food prices.
Last month, lawmakers in the US House of Representatives passed a proposal that would reduce funding for federal food assistance by about $267 billion over 10 years. It’s part of what President Trump calls the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’ that is more than 1,000 pages long and includes tax breaks, spending cuts, border security funding, cuts to Medicaid, and measures that would shield his administration from the courts.
The bill still needs to pass the US Senate and has not yet been finalized, but the proposed cuts to food aid could have a dire impact in New Hampshire.
Right now, the federal government pays for 100 percent of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as “food stamps’’—$154 million in fiscal year 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. About 77,000 New Hampshire residents received SNAP benefits in 2024, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
People with low income who are eligible get a benefits card, and they can use money loaded onto the card toward the cost of groceries each month.
The bill would require states to pay 5 percent to 25 percent of those benefits, and states that made more errors, such as overpayments or underpayments, would have to pay a higher percentage.
In 2023, New Hampshire’s error rate was 12.53, according to the US Department of Agriculture, putting the state in the highest bracket, responsible for covering 25 percent of the cost of benefits, about $38 million, starting in 2028.
But Laura Milliken, executive director at New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, said it’s very unlikely New Hampshire would be able to come up with that kind of money.
“There’s no question that there would be cuts,’’ she said.
Milliken’s organization estimates that tens of thousands of Granite Staters would lose access to SNAP if the federal proposal is approved.
The federal spending bill would also require states to pay 75 percent of the administrative costs of SNAP, up from 50 percent. In 2023, the overall cost of administering SNAP in New Hampshire was $22 million, according to the USDA, which means the state would have to contribute an additional $5.5 million toward those expenses.
“It’s just so disturbing at a time when the cost of living is squeezing us all,’’ Milliken said of the proposed federal cuts. “SNAP has been our country’s first line of defense against hunger for 60 years. We should be strengthening those programs, not taking them away.’’
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
