The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a rule that would remove about 6.3 million people from SNAP, the food stamps program, according to the Agriculture Department’s own analysis. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on November 10. It would end broad-based categorical eligibility, the policy under which states automatically qualify households that receive TANF-funded services. Under the proposal, only households receiving TANF cash assistance would keep automatic eligibility. USDA estimates about 6.3 million people in 3.2 million households, nearly 18 percent of all SNAP recipients, would lose benefits once the rule is fully in effect in fiscal year 2029.
USDA also estimates about 1.78 million children would lose automatic eligibility for free school meals. About 42,000 children could lose Summer EBT, and about 5,500 women, infants and children could lose WIC eligibility. The rule is a proposal, not a final rule, and nothing changes yet. Public comment is open for 30 days through December 10, 2026. USDA says the change is meant to preserve benefits for the truly needy and argues current policy lets households above federal income and asset limits receive benefits. Critics, including Save the Children, say the change would put food assistance out of reach for millions of children and warn USDA estimates may miss the effect of added paperwork and administrative barriers.
The proposal follows earlier cuts. More than 5.5 million people have already lost SNAP since cuts were signed into law in July 2025, and enrollment is now about 36 million, based on USDA data cited by Reuters. As of December 2025, 46 states and territories used broad-based categorical eligibility. A similar rule was proposed in 2019 and later withdrawn. The photo in this video is a USDA file photo from 2012 showing a shopper using an EBT card at a farmers market. It is labeled as a file photo on screen. The other screens are original Zark News graphics and are labeled as a Zark News illustration.
Full story: https://zarknews.com/usda-proposes-cutting-food-stamps-for-6-3-million-people-including-free-school-meals-for-1-8-million-children/
Sources: Reuters; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Save the Children; Federal Register • November 11, 2026. Zark News illustration. File photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture. Video: Zark News.
