Arizona Republicans push stricter eligibility requirements for SNAP to retain federal funding

Arizona Republicans are pushing for more stringent eligibility requirements for SNAP recipients, which they say will reduce error rates and protect the state from losing out on federal funds.

Last year’s federal budget bill, H.R. 1, includes changes to the SNAP program. States with higher “error rates” in the program will lose a portion of their funding.

Based on Arizona’s most recent error rate of 8.8% in fiscal year 2024, the state stands to lose about $139 million.

H.R. 1 also shifts some of the administrative costs of the program to the states. In Arizona, that’ll have an estimated cost of more than $30 million.

A slew of bills at the state Legislature this year are targeted at lowering that error rate. GOP lawmakers advanced a handful of those SNAP-related bills on party lines Monday.

They would impose work requirements on adults under 60 receiving SNAP benefits, tighten other eligibility metrics and mandate more reporting on the program.

“It’s incumbent that we’re partners in knowing what is being used to try to achieve these goals so we don't have to pay out these kinds of monies,” Rep. Jeff Weninger (R-Chandler) said.

Democratic lawmakers questioned how the state will find the additional staff and resources needed to implement changes to the SNAP program. They advocated for focusing on backlogs and making sure eligible recipients are getting their full benefits.