U.S. lawmakers are considering changes to the food program that 600,000 Coloradans rely on

DENVER – Congress could make major changes to a federal food assistance program that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans depend on to feed their families.

According to data from the Colorado Department of Human Services, more than 600,000 Coloradans receive food assistance through the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This represents an increase of 38% compared to five years ago.

For Coloradans struggling to afford food, SNAP is a crucial lifeline.

“Food prices are higher and people have more access to nutrition programs than ever,” said Sarah Mason of Feeding Colorado, an association of five food banks in Colorado.

Mason said SNAP can provide families with more assistance than food banks.

“For every meal that food pantries and food pantries provide, SNAP can provide nine meals,” Mason said. “It is a very effective, targeted program.”

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives want to rein in some spending on SNAP, saying too much money is wasted or lost to fraud.

That’s what the Government Accountability Office estimates SNAP benefit fraud can cost taxpayers between $1 billion and $4.7 billion annually.

“Every dollar lost to fraud and abuse for these SNAP programs is a dollar that cannot be used to feed a hungry child and that is reprehensible,” said U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, R-member of the US House of Representatives. Committee on Agriculture.

The Republican plan is part of the plan Agriculture, Food and National Security Law – also known as the farm bill – which the committee put forward earlier this year.

But limiting future spending increases could result in as much as $30 billion in cuts to SNAP over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a left-wing think tank, released an analysis of the Republican plan.

“Every SNAP participant would face a reduction in benefits: roughly $7 less per person per month from 2027 to 2031 and $15 less per month in 2032 and 2033,” CBPP analysts said, adding that the cuts “would be equivalent to one day of benefits. initially every month, increasing to almost two days by the end of the decade.”

Mason said cuts to SNAP would likely put more demand on Colorado food banks.

“Because they can’t use SNAP as much as they could a few years ago,” Mason said.

The Democrats have unveiled their own plan in the US Senatewhich expands SNAP eligibility to military families and students and calls for studying the impact of letting recipients buy hot food, which they are currently unable to do.

“The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act gives farmers the security they need, ensures rural communities can thrive and puts food on the table for families who need a little help,” said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who chairs the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

While there are major differences when it comes to SNAP spending, both Republican and Democratic plans would lift a lifetime ban that prevents people with drug convictions from signing up for SNAP. Colorado withdrew from the federal ban in 2022.

Agricultural accounts are generally renewed every five years. But lawmakers have been unable to agree on a new law.

With just a few weeks left in the current Congress, lawmakers are likely to approve another extension of the current farm bill, which was passed in 2018.

It will therefore be up to the new Congress and the new Trump administration to pass a new farm bill and decide what changes to make to SNAP.