Group: Georgia could see a $1.1B cut in SNAP benefits

(The Center Square) — Georgia could see a more than $1 billion reduction in how much federal money it receives for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 includes a $30 billion reduction in SNAP funding. The group pointed to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finding that Georgia would see a nearly $1.1 billion reduction over a decade.

“This legislation would reverse improvements made to SNAP’s Thrifty Food Plan that help families and individuals better afford the growing cost of food,” Ife Finch Floyd, GBPI’s director of economic justice, said in a statement.

“While the entire state would feel the impact of these massive cuts, southwest Georgia, which has the highest population of households receiving SNAP, would be hardest hit,” Floyd added. “Federal legislators must take immediate steps to advocate for a Farm Bill that protects and strengthens the SNAP program, ensuring that it continues to support the nutritional needs of Georgia’s families.”

Spokespeople for U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Georgia, and Austin Scott, R-Georgia, both members of the House Agriculture Committee, did not respond to requests for comment. According to GBPI, Bishop’s district would see $139 million less for SNAP benefits, while Scott’s district would see a $97 million reduction.

Similarly, a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Georgia, the committee’s ranking member, did not immediately respond to a Wednesday afternoon request for comment. According to GBPI, Scott’s district would see $95 million less for SNAP benefits.