Kelly, Gallego, Stanton Warn of Devastating Impact of House Republican Plan to Slash Food Assistance, Raise Costs for Arizona Families

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego and Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) warned that the Republican plan to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could take food off the tables of hundreds of thousands of Arizonans including kids, seniors, veterans, and working families—to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. 

In Arizona, more than 920,000 people rely on SNAP to help afford groceries. Over 70 percent of those receiving assistance are children, older adults, or people with disabilities. The Republican plan that passed the House this week would gut this lifeline while forcing Arizona to shoulder more than $500 million in costs—a cost the state is not prepared to absorb—meaning fewer people will receive benefits and have their costs go up.  

“This plan raises costs and takes food away from the people who need it most—kids who rely on school meals, parents trying to stretch every dollar, and seniors choosing between groceries and medicine,” said Kelly. “Cutting that support just to give rich people another tax break is cruel, and we’re going to fight to stop it in the Senate.” 

“Instead of fighting to lower the cost of groceries like they promised, House Republicans just voted to make it harder for thousands of hardworking Arizona families to put food on the table,” said Gallego. “They want to give tax cuts to billionaires and pay for it on the backs of children, seniors, and Arizonans with disabilities. We won’t let them get away with this reverse Robin Hood.” 

“House Republicans just voted to rip food away from Arizona kids, seniors, and veterans—so they can hand more tax breaks to the billionaires bankrolling their campaigns,” said Stanton. “It’s disgraceful, and we’re going to do everything we can to stop Senate Republicans from pushing this deficit-busting scam on Arizona families.

Background:  The House Republican reconciliation package includes nearly $290 billion in cuts to nutrition assistance programs. For the first time, it would require states to cover a portion of SNAP benefits, with Arizona expected to pay 25 percent of benefit costs—an estimated $501 million annually—plus 75 percent of administrative costs. The plan also expands work requirements by raising the maximum age from 54 to 64 and narrowing exemptions for parents, while making waivers more difficult to come by. In rural Arizona, where transportation and internet access are limited, meeting these requirements would be especially challenging. The bill also limits future SNAP benefit increases by capping updates to the Thrifty Food Plan and removes key deductions that help determine eligibility and benefit levels.