What Happened?

If your family buys groceries with SNAP, how many mistakes your state makes handing out those benefits is about to start costing it money. Under the 2025 budget law, starting Oct. 1, 2027, states with payment error rates of 6% or higher must cover 5%, 10% or 15% of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit costs, depending on how high their rate is, according to the Congressional Research Service. ​

The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 12-11 along party lines on Wednesday, Sept. 16, to advance a farm bill that would push that start date back a year, AgWeb reported. The House-passed farm bill keeps the original schedule, according to a Legis1 report on the CRS analysis.

Why Does It Matter To Me?

Most states are over the line. Forty-one states and Washington D.C. had error rates of 6% or higher in 2025, and the national rate was 10.62%, Agri-Pulse reported. Alaska topped the list at 23.15%, followed by D.C. at 18.66% and New Mexico at 16.81%. States with rates above about 13.3% get an extra year or two before they pay.

The bill could be large. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which opposes the cost shift, estimates states would owe roughly $9 billion in the first year, including about $1.9 billion for California. States already picked up more of the cost of running SNAP on Oct. 1, when their share of administrative costs rose to 75%.

Both Sides, Now

Supporters say states need a push to get payments right. “These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, a member of President Trump’sCabinet, when the rates came out in June. The Senate bill pairs its one-year delay with a tougher penalty later, raising the top state share to 20% starting in 2031.

Critics say the pressure is already hurting families. In a survey by the American Public Human Services Association and the Urban Institute, 15 of 38 responding states said they had eased off getting benefits out on time to focus on accuracy, and 29% said they might narrow who qualifies. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warns some states could drop out of SNAP entirely.

What Happens Next?

The full Senate isn’t expected to vote until lawmakers return Monday, Nov. 9, after the election. Any delay would then have to be worked out with the House, which passed its farm bill 224-200 on April 30.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the committee’s top Democrat, says the bill must pass by the end of the year. If it doesn’t, the original schedule stands, and states over the 6% line start paying Oct. 1, 2027.

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