WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee are trying to use Tuesday’s farm bill markup to roll back controversial changes to the food stamp program enacted in the 2025 reconciliation law that funneled billions of dollars out of the program.

House Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee ranking member Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., submitted two amendments to the bill that would repeal the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program made in reconciliation and increase the federal administrative personnel cost-share to 100%.

Last year’s reconciliation law made sweeping changes to SNAP, a program that serves about 42 million people, over the opposition of Democrats. The law reduced federal nutrition spending by $186.5 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The majority of the SNAP spending reductions were from the establishment of a first-of-its-kind benefit cost-sharing requirement for states that have payment error rates at or above 8%, starting in fiscal 2028. The state cost-share ranges from 5% to 15%. The average national error rate in fiscal 2024 was 11%.

The CBO estimated that the cost-sharing provision would reduce federal spending by $40.8 billion over the 2025-2034 period.

The law also increased the administrative cost share for states from 50% to 75% in fiscal year 2027, amounting to a $24.7 billion reduction in federal spending over the 10-year period, according to the CBO.

The Hayes amendment would undo those changes.

Her amendment also would roll back the reconciliation law’s provision that the thrifty food plan, the tool for setting SNAP benefits, can only increase the cost of the program to match inflation rates in any future re-evaluations. And she would remove an expanded work requirement for able-bodied 55- to 64-year-olds without dependents and parents of children over 14, both of which were enacted in reconciliation.

The CBO estimated that thrifty food plan requirement in the law would reduce spending by $37.3 billion over the next decade.

Republicans are unlikely to back Hayes’ amendment.

House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., originally proposed making the thrifty food plan cost-neutral in the 2024 farm bill. The GOP criticized the Biden administration for its 2021 update that boosted food stamp benefits by 21%, amounting to an increase of $256 billion over 10 years.

Many Democrats say states will shutter SNAP because they don’t have the funds to cover the new costs.

State objections

Nine organizations representing governors, legislative leaders and municipal leaders, including the National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, and National Conference of State Legislatures, sent a letter in January to House and Senate leaders urging Congress to exclude October and November 2025 payment error rates from the fiscal 2026 quality control sample and delay the start date for the state cost-sharing until 2030.

“The financial implications are significant,” the letter said, adding that the benefit cost-sharing requirement could amount to $218 million per state annually, while the administrative costs would increase by $67 million per state.

“These impacts cut across states of all sizes and political affiliations and, if applied based on disrupted data, risk undermining ongoing investments in program integrity and ultimately the viability of the program,” it said.

Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, submitted an amendment that would satisfy the requests in the letter. Her proposal would delay the state benefit cost-sharing requirement until fiscal 2032 and the administrative cost sharing increase until fiscal 2029.

Brown also submitted an amendment that would repeal the SNAP work requirements.

Former ranking member David Scott, D-Ga., submitted two amendments aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion.

One amendment would improve access to equitable relief for farmers and ranchers if they were improperly deemed ineligible for Agriculture Department loans, payments or other benefits. The provision would allow farmers to receive payments if they acted in good faith to comply with the requirements for equitable relief. It also would allow the assistant Agriculture secretary for civil rights to grant relief.

Scott’s other amendment would permanently authorize scholarships for students at 1890 land grant institutions that are historically Black universities and colleges. The farm bill would only extend the authorization for those scholarships until 2031.

The program is funded at $10 million. Scott’s amendment would increase the funding to $15 million starting in fiscal year 2027.

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