Antonio Statement on SNAP Changes

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) federal funding changes going into effect today:

When the legislature passed H.B. 730 back in March, Republicans knew the $12.5 million they allocated for SNAP would not be nearly enough, said Antonio. To make matters worse, the funds were distributed evenly across counties, rather than using a past distribution formula based on caseloads or population. The results pit rural and urban areas against each other. Now, with our local governments facing a $25.5 million deficit, staff will either be laid off or have to take on even larger workloads, while Ohioans will find it harder to seek out and receive SNAP assistance. No Ohioan should have to struggle to afford food for themselves or their families. We should be providing adequate SNAP resources for all Ohioans in need, regardless of where they live.

Today is the effective date of the federal cost shifts outlined in H.R. 1, what Trump and Republicans dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which actually has big, ugly consequences for Ohioans. The federal government now funds 25% of SNAP administrative costs, instead of 50%, laying the burden on states to cover 75% of the cost.