How the safety net cuts in the Trump tax bill will impact Pennsylvania

“So, this law changes the entire structure of the food stamp program. Right now, states and the federal government split the program’s administrative costs, but the costs of the food benefits themselves are fully covered by the federal government. Once this law takes full effect, for the first time, some of the costs of the food stamp benefits will be shifted to states.

Local advocates such as Ann Sanders from anti-hunger group Just Harvest say this is a very big deal.

‘This is a major, major change because when you have a benefit that’s funded by the federal government, it is a true, ‘If you need it, you can get it’ program because the federal government has the ability to provide funds and pay for things as needed,” Sanders said. “The state of Pennsylvania does not.'”

Publish Date: 07-18-2025

News Outlet: WESA

Author: Kate Giammarise, Susan Scott Peterson, Priyanka Tewari