MFBN Urges Congress to Delay Massive SNAP Shift

New USDA data confirms that Montana, along with 35 other states, will soon be forced to take on enormous new costs to continue administering SNAP – increasing the risk that more than 75,000 struggling families in Montana could soon lose food assistance. Congress must delay this cost shift for all states, urges the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN).

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital food assistance program that helps families and individuals bridge the gap of unemployment, low wages, high cost of living, and other unexpected costs. For the first time, starting October 1, 2027, Montana will be required to use roughly $16.4 million in state funds to maintain this crucial program.

Implemented by H.R. 1, this requirement is based on Montana’s SNAP payment error rate in fiscal year 2025 or 2026. SNAP payment error rates measure the extent to which a state gives families too much or too little in SNAP benefits, reflecting unintentional mistakes by state agencies navigating outdated technology, staff shortages, incomplete case files and layered eligibility rules. Although commonly misunderstood, SNAP payment error rates are not a measure of fraud or abuse by people participating in the program.

The October 1, 2027 cost shift implementation date gives Montana very little time to reduce payment errors before the state is expected to begin using its funds to pay for a portion of SNAP benefits. While Montana has already taken extensive steps to lower its SNAP payment error rate, the data does not yet reflect that. Furthermore, the 2025 error rate that the cost is based on largely reflects mistakes that occurred long before the cost shift was implemented when H.R. 1 passed in July of 2025. This means that not only will Montana be penalized for mistakes made before state agencies could enact changes, but also for mistakes made before agencies were even aware of the cost shift. Pinning multi-million-dollar penalties on measurements taken before states could enact changes is unfair and unrealistic.

With no time to make real progress, many states are making it much harder for eligible families and community members to access SNAP as they take drastic steps to try to reduce errors and cut costs. The number of people participating in SNAP has already fallen by more than 6,900 in Montana and 4 million nationwide, including 800,000 children, as states have raced to decrease the risk of paying enormous new penalties. As these costs begin hitting state budgets, even more people will lose the help they need to afford groceries.

An emergency is already unfolding across the country, and the harm will only get worse unless Congress acts. Congress must urgently delay this cost shift for all states. Without action, Congress is putting even more American workers, veterans, and families at risk of not being able to put food on their tables.

Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is Montana’s only statewide food bank and partner food bank of Feeding America, providing direct service to a network of 330 partners including community food banks, pantries, schools, senior centers, shelters, and tribal centers. MFBN’s hunger relief programs include BackPack, Child Nutrition, Hunters Against Hunger, Mail-a-Meal, Retail Food Rescue, and SNAP Outreach. In addition to distributing food, MFBN advocates for long-term policy solutions to strengthen public nutrition programs and address the root causes of hunger. MFBN is committed to its vision of a Montana free from hunger where everyone has equal access to nutritious food.