According to reports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a rule change that it estimates would end SNAP benefits for about 6.3 million people nationwide by fiscal year 2029.
The proposal targets “broad-based categorical eligibility,” a policy that lets states qualify households for SNAP when they receive non-cash services through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, such as childcare or workforce training.
Under the rule, automatic eligibility would generally be limited to households that receive cash assistance through TANF. Households that lose automatic eligibility would have to meet federal income and asset limits instead.
USDA estimates that 3.2 million households, or 17.6% of SNAP participants, would lose benefits by fiscal 2029, the first year the rule would be fully in effect.
The department projects the change would cut federal SNAP spending by about $44.6 billion over five years.
USDA says the change would bring SNAP in line with limits set by Congress. The proposal says it would “preserve benefits for the truly needy,” according to a report on the rule. Ending the policy has long been a target of Republicans and appeared in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint. Anti-hunger groups warn the change would cut food aid for millions of families.
The rule would also affect other programs that use SNAP participation as a shortcut.
USDA estimates that about 1.78 million children would lose automatic eligibility for free school meals, though about 97% would still qualify based on household income and would have to be certified another way. It also projects that about 42,000 children could lose Summer EBT and 5,500 people could lose WIC eligibility.
The proposal comes after more than 5.5 million people have already lost SNAP benefits since the 2025 federal tax law, according to USDA data.
The rule is a proposal, not final, and would go through public comment before it could take effect. USDA’s estimates are national, and it is not yet clear how many Tennesseans, or Carroll County residents, would be affected.