1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost shifts enacted in Public Law 119-21, which transfer billions in federal safety-net obligations directly onto state and county budgets. Under P.L. 119-21, the federal share of state SNAP administrative costs drops from 50% to 25%. This sudden cost shift creates an immediate fiscal crisis for state and county governments, which must balance their budgets and will be forced to choose between raising local taxes, cutting basic municipal services, or shuttering county offices. For families in need, this means reduced eligibility staffing, massive application backlogs, and deliberate administrative friction that knocks eligible working households off food assistance entirely. Furthermore, states with payment error rates above 6% will be forced to pay 5%, 10%, or 15% of total food benefit costs—an unprecedented shift in the program's history. Pew estimates these combined changes will cost states up to $15 billion annually once fully effective. Crucially, USDA payment error rates measure administrative and paperwork mistakes—both overpayments and underpayments—not recipient fraud. Squeezing the administrative match starves agencies of the very caseworkers needed to process complex files accurately, creating a catch-22 that virtually guarantees states trigger these catastrophic food-cost penalties. SNAP feeds over 41 million Americans, nearly 80% of whom live in households with children, seniors, or people with disabilities. Benefits average just $6 a day per person. USDA studies confirm that every $1.00 in SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in local economic activity. We can fund this program without penalizing state treasuries. The IRS estimates we have an annual net tax gap of $606 billion, driven largely by unreported high-income business and partnership earnings. The annual SNAP cost shift equals roughly 2.5% of a single year’s tax gap. Strengthening tax compliance for complex entities would easily cover these program costs. I urge you to take immediate legislative action: 1. Co-Sponsor Cost-Shift Repeal Legislation: Introduce or co-sponsor legislation to repeal the administrative cost cut and the 6% error-rate penalty, or at minimum delay implementation. 2. Fund IRS High-Income Enforcement: Support dedicated funding for IRS compliance targeting unreported partnership and corporate income to resolve budget deficits without cutting food aid. 3. Require USDA Impact Reporting: Direct the USDA to submit quarterly reports to Congress tracking state SNAP caseloads, administrative staffing levels, and fiscal burdens under the new funding structure. Shifting federal food obligations onto state tax budgets harms local economies and vulnerable families. Reclaim your legislative authority and restore full federal SNAP funding.