Jun 24, 2026 · 32 min · 10 segments
In this episode, we talk with Catlin Nchako of the topnotch research and policy institute Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Catlin and his colleagues are documenting the devastating impact of…
Catlin NchakoGuest
Fran QuigleyHost
So you and your Center on Budget colleagues have some disturbing but really deeply important reporting on the devastating impact on families and people in need of food support that's been caused by last summer's sometimes called H.R. 1, sometimes called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Before we talk about your findings, can you give us a reminder of what that legislation did regarding eligibility for SNAP benefits?
So really, the biggest thing is that prior to H.R. 1, the cost of operating SNAP of providing SNAP benefits was fully shouldered by the federal government.
The federal government shared the cost of administering SNAP between it and the states, but it paid the full price of providing SNAP benefits.
What H.R. 1 did is it basically is making states to basically shoulder a share of that federal benefits.
It's also asking them to shoulder a slightly higher share of the cost of administering benefits as well.
But the big thing is really that they are now responsible for paying for the SNAP benefits that the recipients of that state are providing.
And that's a big deal, and we're happy to talk a little bit more about why that's a big deal as well.
And there's eligibility restrictions, or at least barriers, as also were created by the legislation, right?
So one of the things that it does is that part of H.R. 1, there are some categories of immigrants who are lawfully present that are able to access SNAP.
So if you think of folks like refugees or people who are in need of help, right, for sex trafficking or other reasons, that they may need SNAP.
The other thing that HR1 does is it also adds new categories of SNAP recipients to people who...
There's a group of SNAP recipients that can get SNAP in a very short amount of time.
So you and your Center on Budget colleagues have some disturbing but really deeply important reporting on the devastating impact on families and people in need of food support that's been caused by last summer's sometimes called H.R. 1, sometimes called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Before we talk about your findings, can you give us a reminder of what that legislation did regarding eligibility for SNAP benefits?
So really, the biggest thing is that prior to H.R. 1, the cost of operating SNAP of providing SNAP benefits was fully shouldered by the federal government.
The federal government shared the cost of administering SNAP between it and the states, but it paid the full price of providing SNAP benefits.
What H.R. 1 did is it basically is making states to basically shoulder a share of that federal benefits.
It's also asking them to shoulder a slightly higher share of the cost of administering benefits as well.
But the big thing is really that they are now responsible for paying for the SNAP benefits that the recipients of that state are providing.
And that's a big deal, and we're happy to talk a little bit more about why that's a big deal as well.
And there's eligibility restrictions, or at least barriers, as also were created by the legislation, right?
So one of the things that it does is that part of H.R. 1, there are some categories of immigrants who are lawfully present that are able to access SNAP.
So if you think of folks like refugees or people who are in need of help, right, for sex trafficking or other reasons, that they may need SNAP.
The other thing that HR1 does is it also adds new categories of SNAP recipients to people who...
There's a group of SNAP recipients that can get SNAP in a very short amount of time.
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3 of 5
3.5 Million Dropped Overnight
Hold on—look what the data reveals today
Arizona's 52% SNAP Collapse
Arizona numbers ring a nationwide alarm bell
$6 A Day For Food
Imagine feeding yourself on just six dollars
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