Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule that could see 6.3 million people lose their access to a crucial food stamp program.

Under a new rule proposed by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), households receiving aid under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) may lose their eligibility for the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

If the rule were to come into effect, approximately 6.3 million people would lose access to SNAP food stamp benefits – about 18% of those currently enrolled. This would have a devastating impact on many of the nation's most vulnerable families.

Households currently receiving TANF automatically qualify for SNAP without needing to meet its income threshold, which sits at around 130% of the federal poverty level.

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According to the proposal, the new rule would make SNAP eligibility more standardized and cost effective, while preserving benefits "for the truly needy."

About 36 million people are currently enrolled in SNAP, 5.5 million less than before Trump introduced a series of brutal cuts to the program in 2025.

"This move by the Trump administration to take food assistance away from millions more elderly Americans and children is heartless and cruel," said House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, a Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota, in a statement.

"The proposed rule would make it harder to meet basic needs and roll back efforts to streamline federal programs," Craig wrote. "SNAP is a highly effective and efficient program when it is allowed to work as designed."

"Unfortunately, the Trump administration and the outgoing Republican majority in Congress have undermined the program's integrity at every turn, harming millions of vulnerable Americans in the process."