WASHINGTON — The Senate parliamentarian rejected an effort by Republicans in Congress to force states to take on significantly more costs associated with the federal food assistance program known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The decision by the parliamentarian that the provision doesn't meet the strict rules of the so-called budget reconciliation process means that it will have to be stripped from the bill or altered to comply with the guidelines.

Senate Agriculture panel Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas indicated in a statement over the weekend that his staff is looking for ways to revise the cost-share plan so that it could survive and remain in the package.

"To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity," Boozman said in a statement.

"We are continuing to examine options that comply with Senate rules to achieve savings through budget reconciliation to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

The Senate GOP's version of the legislation softened the House cost-share provision and would have, starting in 2028, required states to shoulder up to 15% of the SNAP program's benefit costs, whereas the House version shifted up to 25% of the benefit costs onto states. Benefits have historically been 100% paid for by the federal government.

Republicans in Congress say they want to hold states accountable for billions of dollars spent annually on erroneous payments to participants. Under the bill, the amount each state would have to contribute toward SNAP benefits was based on its payment error rate. States like Michigan, with high error rates (10.7% for 2023), would be responsible for more of the cost.

The maximum 15% level included in the Senate bill would produce a budget gap of around $467.3 million in Michigan, where low-income households are on track to qualify for $3.1 billion in annual SNAP benefits in 2025. If the 15% cost-share also extends to SNAP’s summer program for families with school-age children, the cost to the state could hit nearly $482.3 million, according to state data.

States that manage to bring their payment error rates below 6% would not be mandated to pay a share of SNAP costs, according to the Senate text.

"It doesn't kick in until 2028, so it gives the states time to prepare for this and, if they will increase their efficiency, again, it will help you a great deal," Boozman told reporters this month. "A lot of people were concerned about the significant bill to the states with the 5% cost share."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says payment errors are usually unintentional mistakes by a state agency staffer or the SNAP household.

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has complained about the proposal to index the cost-share to a state's error rate because states are punished in part for errors made by household members when filling out applications or other paperwork ― errors that MDHHS can't control.

"I think Michigan is in a really good spot with our error rate. We've been working really hard to bring that down, and I think that we'll be successful in seeing a reduction in that," Hertel told The Detroit News earlier this month.

States would also take on a larger chunk of the cost of running the program under both the House and Senate versions of the budget legislation ― 75% of administrative costs. That would mean an estimated $95 million in additional costs for Michigan to operate the program, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The Senate's SNAP reforms would have saved about $53 billion versus the House version's $73 billion in savings, Boozman had said. The reforms are part of a larger tax cut and spending bill that is the cornerstone of President Donald Trump's second-term agenda. The Republican president has dubbed the legislation "one big beautiful bill."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the Agriculture panel, said the SNAP cost-share proposal would have "inevitably" led to major cuts in the states.

"While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need," Klobuchar said in a statement in response to the parliamentarian's ruling.

"Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America."

The parliamentarian also concluded that the Senate's proposal to limit SNAP eligibility for immigrants in the country without legal papers was not in compliance with reconciliation rules.

Other provisions related to states that the parliamentarian has blocked in recent days include limiting certain federal grants awarded to "sanctuary" jurisdictions.

Electric vehicle, postal impacts

The Senate parliamentarian also ruled out two sections with significant ramifications for the auto industry and the U.S. Postal Service.

Congressional Republicans in both chambers tried to use the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to repeal ambitious Biden-era regulations meant to expedite a nationwide transition to electric vehicles.

The Senate parliamentarian determined Friday that such a repeal would require 60 votes. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

The rules, finalized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former President Joe Biden, will require automakers to slash tailpipe emissions by almost half between 2026 and 2032. There is no explicit requirement that automakers meet the targets through electrification, but the Biden EPA and auto executives have indicated it would be impossible to comply without EVs.

Trump and fellow Republicans have frequently criticized the rules, calling them a federal EV mandate for an industry that has been slow to profit from next-generation, zero-emission powertrains.

Without a legislative repeal of the rules, the Trump administration will likely seek other — likely slower — avenues to cancel or scale back the standards. New EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pledged in March to “reconsider” the rules.

The parliamentarian blocked another EV-related provision Sunday when she determined that the Senate could not use a simple majority vote to force a U.S. Postal Service selloff of electric mail trucks and charging infrastructure.

Senate Republicans directed the selloff as part of a broader GOP effort to pull back on EVs.

The Postal Service currently has about 7,200 battery-electric vehicles, with plans to acquire 66,000 over ten years. Those vehicles are a mix of Ford Motor Co. E-Transit vans and Oshkosh Defense mail trucks specially built with steering wheels on the right side.

The already cash-strapped agency warned the Senate in a June 13 letter that the provision would cost $1.5 billion and “undo more than 10 years of planning and work on our delivery fleet replacement.”

The letter emphasized in bold text that there would be “real and foreseeable damage.”

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