Lawmakers warn SNAP cuts and new tariffs would hit farmers and rural economies
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Summary
Members of the House Agriculture Committee told witnesses that rolling back SNAP benefits or imposing state cost shares alongside an expanding tariff strategy would reduce farm revenue, shrink retail demand in rural counties and worsen food insecurity.
Multiple lawmakers used the House Agriculture Committee hearing to link proposed SNAP cuts and the administration's tariff actions to harms for farmers, rural retailers and local economies.
Ranking Member Ms. Craig and other Democrats argued that a $230 billion cut to SNAP would reduce farm revenue by about $30 billion and shrink demand in grocery supply chains. Representative McGovern and other members described the program’s multiplier effect: when SNAP recipients spend benefits locally it circulates through grocery stores, trucking, manufacturing and farms. One member summarized that “every $1 invested in SNAP generates $1.50 in economic activity.”
Louisiana’s David Tidwell told the committee that nearly one‑fifth of Louisiana’s population relies on SNAP and that East Baton Rouge Parish alone has roughly 84,000 recipients, emphasizing the role SNAP plays in supporting workforce pipelines for high‑demand certifications such as commercial driver’s licenses, medical training and skilled trades. Tidwell said his organization’s integrated workforce platform connects training providers and employers to “bridge the skills gap and create a pipeline of career ready workers.”
Several members from farm states described how ongoing tariff moves and proposed cuts together would compound harm to farm incomes. Representative Costa, Representative Davids and others warned that tariffs could raise food prices for consumers even as lower SNAP benefits reduced demand—creating a double hit for both families and producers. Lawmakers at the hearing asked witnesses whether cuts to SNAP would force local grocers and small retailers to close and whether job losses in those businesses would follow; witnesses answered that such impacts were plausible in communities reliant on SNAP spending.
No new trade policy was enacted at the hearing; members used the forum to underscore the interdependence of food assistance, farm incomes and local retail economies and urged a bipartisan farm bill to provide stability.