Major SNAP changes worry Utah anti-hunger advocates

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox likes what he sees in President Donald Trump’s massive tax cut and policy plan. A coalition advocating for low-income Utahns couldn’t disagree more.

And Utah’s Department of Workforce Services is trying to figure out how the mega bill’s major policy changes and funding cuts will affect the state and more than 180,000 Utahns who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to afford groceries.

On Monday, department staffers were still reading through the law and awaiting guidance from the federal government on how to put the SNAP changes into practice, said DWS spokesperson Becky Wickstrom.

Neil Rickard with Utahns Against Hunger said a few things are clear: The changes will make it harder to qualify for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Rickard also expects the benefits to shrink in size, and anticipates more people will seek out help from food pantries and church organizations.

“Year after year, there’s been more demand for their services, and there’s only so much that they can do to expand,” Rickard said. “Utah’s a very charitable place, but that capacity for charity ultimately does have limits, and we’re really worried we might be butting up against those.”

Among the key food assistance changes in the legislation are expanded work requirements for those ages 55 to 64, and for parents whose children are all 14 or older.

Wickstrom said Monday it wasn’t yet clear when those work requirement changes would take effect.

The law Trump calls the “big beautiful bill” also repeals work exemptions for homeless people, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care.

“These are the groups that ultimately need a lot of those benefits, that versatility, that ability to just shop where you would normally shop rather than having to add something new to your routine,” Rickard said.

As part of that routine each month, money’s loaded onto a card for SNAP recipients. The KSL Investigators have reported extensively on fraud targeting those Utah families.

According to state data, thousands of Utahns went to use their cards in the last year, only to find their grocery money was stolen.

Rickard said the legislation doesn’t address that type of fraud.

“These are very sophisticated operations,” Rickard said of those stealing the food assistance money. “They aren’t really touched by anything in the bill, or any of this, and it’s it’s really heartbreaking.”

Starting in the 2027 fiscal year, the plan also requires states to start chipping in more for costs of administering their programs.

Contributing: Associated Press

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