SNAP Changes in the 2026 Farm Bill
SNAP reauthorized through 2031 but $187B in cuts from H.R. 1 stay in place. Hot rotisserie chicken now eligible nationwide. State certification outsourcing authority expanded. Local food purchasing grants for food banks created.
The most important fact
The 2026 farm bill keeps the $187 billion in SNAP cuts that H.R. 1 (the 2025 budget reconciliation law) made. Multiple Democratic amendments tried to reverse those cuts. None passed.
If you’re tracking “SNAP cuts in the farm bill,” they almost always refer to the H.R. 1 cuts that this bill leaves untouched.
What stayed in place from H.R. 1
The 2025 reconciliation law made these changes that the 2026 farm bill does NOT reverse:
- State cost-shifts: states now pay a portion of SNAP benefit costs
- Stricter ABAWD work requirements: more rigorous work expectations for able-bodied adults without dependents
- Reduced state administrative flexibility
- Limits on Standard Utility Allowance increases
- Tighter income verification
What the 2026 farm bill changes
1. Reauthorized through 2031
SNAP and related nutrition programs are reauthorized through September 30, 2031.
2. Hot rotisserie chicken now SNAP-eligible nationwide
This passed by a strongly bipartisan 384–35 vote. Currently, SNAP rules let recipients buy cold prepared foods but not hot prepared foods (with state-specific exceptions like Arkansas’s USDA waiver).
The bill makes hot rotisserie chicken eligible nationwide. Just hot rotisserie chicken, not all hot prepared foods. Sponsored by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR).
3. State authority to outsource SNAP certification
States can now outsource SNAP certification operations (income verification, eligibility determination) to private contractors. This is structural, states with case backlogs may use it; states with strong public sector workforces may not.
4. Local food purchasing grants for food banks
A new program funds grants for procurement and distribution of locally produced food. Builds on the COVID-era Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program (which was ended in early 2025).
5. Expanded SNAP nutrition incentive eligibility
The list of food categories eligible for nutrition incentive programs (Double Up Food Bucks, etc.) is expanded. Specific commodities will be defined by USDA rulemaking.
6. Discretionary funding
Title IV authorizes $1.196 billion in discretionary appropriations for nutrition programs over FY2027–FY2031, with an estimated $997 million in outlays.
What didn’t make it in
Major proposals that did NOT pass:
- Restoring the $187B SNAP cuts (multiple Democratic amendments)
- Delaying state cost-shifts
- Reversing expanded ABAWD requirements
- Restricting soda and sugary beverages under SNAP at federal level (states can do this with USDA waivers)
- Stricter income verification beyond H.R. 1
Who Title IV matters for
- 42 million SNAP recipients: what’s NOT changed matters more than what is
- State governments: cost-shifts kicking in are real money
- Food banks: local food purchasing grants are real opportunities
- Grocers and convenience stores: hot rotisserie chicken is a new revenue stream
- Restaurant industry: rotisserie chicken precedent could expand
What’s next
Senate Democrats led by Klobuchar (D-MN) will push to delay or reverse cost-shifts. Reversing H.R. 1 cuts would require new reconciliation; it’s unlikely. But Senate may delay implementation timelines.