00:00The Senate is making its mark on a sweeping budget reconciliation package, with proposed
00:04changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that could significantly
00:09increase the administrative burden on states. While the House initially required states to
00:14cover 50% of administrative costs and 5% of their share of SNAP benefit costs, the Senate
00:21Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry is proposing a substantial hike.
00:26Under their plan, the state administrative cost burden would rise dramatically to 75%.
00:32This means a much larger chunk of the administrative costs for running SNAP would fall squarely on the
00:38states. While there are nuances, such as exemptions for states with low error rates and a lower cap
00:44for states with high error rates, the overall trend points to a greater financial responsibility for
00:49states. Senator Murkowski of Alaska, for example, notes that her state still faces challenges when
00:55it comes to SNAP implementation, suggesting that these increased administrative burdens could
01:00exacerbate existing issues. These proposed changes come amidst a broader push by Senate
01:05committees to find even deeper savings to offset the enormous cost of making key 2017 tax cuts
01:11permanent. The pressure is on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to get Republican senators on
01:17board, especially with President Trump's firm July 4 deadline for the bill's passage.
01:21White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has even emphasized that Trump expects them to stick to
01:27his timeline. As negotiations intensify, there's an expectation of concessions all around to get
01:33this massive legislative package passed. However, many of these provisions, from both the House and
01:39Senate versions, could still be stripped out if they don't comply with the Senate's bird rules,
01:44which limit budget reconciliation bills to matters strictly fiscal.
01:47The future of SNAP funding and its impact on states remains a central point of contention in this
01:53ongoing budget battle. Money Explainers
Comentarios