Washington braces for SNAP cuts as Trump's bill becomes law

MALTBY, Wash. — As President Donald Trump celebrates the passage of his sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill,” some Washington leaders are warning of serious consequences for the state’s most vulnerable residents. 

Now signed into law, the president’s budget includes $186 billion in cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade — reductions that some argue will hit rural communities especially hard.

In Washington, nearly one million people rely on SNAP benefits each month. With the new law in place, those benefits are expected to shrink, and eligibility requirements will become stricter. Adults between the ages of 18 and 64 must work at least 80 hours per month or risk losing assistance.

Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA) did not hold back in her reaction during a visit to a food bank in Seattle.

“I’m pissed off, and I’m ready to fight this for as long as it takes,” Schrier said during a visit to Food Lifeline, a nonprofit food distributor in western Washington. “We have more food insecurity and lower wages and more financial strain in this state and across the country. So there’s more reliance on SNAP — and if that gets cut, there’s more reliance on food banks. So we’re going to feel this more.”

The new law also shifts more financial responsibility to the states. For Washington, that translates to nearly $88 million in added administrative costs to manage the SNAP program.

Mark Weiseth, a food bank volunteer from Bothell, said the private sector won’t be able to fill the gap left by federal cuts even with strong community support.

“I think they will try, but I don’t think they can fill the whole gap,” Weiseth said. “Private citizens and organizations will try to add support, but it won’t be enough.”

Data from the Food Research and Action Center showed that food assistance needs are already widespread across Washington. From 2017 to 2021, roughly 8% of households in King County relied on SNAP. In Snohomish County, the number was closer to 9%, and in Yakima County, it climbed to nearly 22%.

Food Lifeline and other nonprofits said they are now preparing to lean even more heavily on local donors and volunteers, though they fear that may not be enough to meet growing demand.

“This has been signed into law — there is no question that this will happen,” Schrier said. “And that’s what is so devastating about this. It’s not just hand-wringing, ‘Oh my God, we’re worried.’ These are real consequences for real people.”