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County briefing: SNAP changes, work rules and the shutdown could reduce food assistance
Summary
The county’s food-systems director warned the council that federal changes to SNAP calculations and eligibility, plus the federal shutdown, could reduce benefits, increase operating costs for state and local administrators, and raise demand on food banks and county programs.
Heather Breskin, Director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience, told the council the county is closely monitoring three major impact areas from HR1 and related federal actions: benefit amounts, eligibility/work requirements, and program operating costs. "SNAP and WIC seem to have enough funding to continue through the month of October," she said, but added that carryover funds are finite and longer interruptions could create gaps.
Breskin reviewed technical changes that will lower household benefits over time — including the recalibration of the Thrifty Food Plan and elimination of a standard utility deduction for most households — and noted immediate local economic consequences: "In Montgomery County alone, we have $12,000,000 per month in SNAP purchases that are made." The office is scaling outreach, training grantees, and using MC Groceries and other county programs to try to buffer impacts. Council members stressed the disproportionate effect on families with caregiving responsibilities, older adults, and people with disabilities and asked for continued regional coordination and contingency planning.
