TALHASSEE – Congress plans to cut billions of dollars from the federal food aid program and shift that burden over the next few years.
The House Agriculture Committee is moving forward with plans to cut approximately $230 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the federal budget settlement process and pay $1 trillion tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a Non-Party Institute in Washington.
Rep. Anna Escamani, D-Orlando State Sen., said those cuts in Washington would have a major impact in Florida and rely on federal funds. She said about a third of the state’s revenue comes from federal dollars.
“It’s the elephant in the room,” Escamani said. “Republicans overwhelmingly celebrate Doge and want to mimic it, but ignore the real impact it has. These are our components. It’s a complete denial of responsibility.”
Amy Baker, the state’s chief economist, said the nation “has not gotten a lot of details” from DC, she said.
However, based on her and her team’s forecasts, Florida is almost certainly facing a revenue shortfall of $2.9 billion in 2026 and $7 billion in 2027.
Although details have not been washed away yet, Florida could make a payment of up to $657 million if it needs to donate 10% to the costs of the SNAP program. The Florida Institute of Policy Research said the state should consider raising taxes, reducing funding for other state programs and services, reducing SNAP benefits levels and limiting program eligibility.
“Floridans are already facing barriers to economic self-sufficiency due to the state’s inadequate safety net,” said Sadaf Knight, CEO of the nonpartisan Florida Institute of Policy Research. “As the cuts are floating in Congress now, we could see food insecurity as Florida children and adults spike.”
