Media Coverage

Thousands in Southwest Ohio could lose federal food assistance benefits, while tens of thousands more could see assistance reduced under congressional budget proposals, according to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Republicans in support of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, say the changes will save money, root out waste and encourage personal responsibility.

The program offers an average of $191 per month to 1 in 9 low-income, elderly and disabled Ohioans to purchase groceries each month, according to a CBPP analysis of USDA Food and Nutrition Service data. Sixty-two percent of Ohio households that participate in SNAP are in families with children.

Congress is considering the deepest cuts ever to the food assistance program under a plan that would reduce funding by $300 billion over the next decade, according to the CBPP. The cuts will be used in part to pay for trillions in tax cuts that will benefit the wealthy.

New legislative moves in Ohio aimed at cracking down on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) fraud and limiting what recipients can buy have sparked widespread concern among social service advocates and low-income families—not just in Ohio, but across the Midwest. As debates heat up over food insecurity and government benefits, many Illinois families are asking: Could these changes be coming here next?

The proposed bills—House Bill 162 and House Bill 163—include sweeping changes like banning SNAP purchases of items such as soda, candy, and energy drinks. Another measure focuses on tightening fraud prevention through chip-enabled EBT cards and requiring in-person interviews.

These bills arrive as a 30% federal cut to SNAP benefits already takes effect nationwide, further straining resources for struggling families.

What’s in the Ohio Bills?

HB 162 proposes to restrict SNAP usage to healthier food options, echoing past efforts that failed to gain federal approval. The bill would ban SNAP users from buying:

• Soda and sugary drinks
• Energy drinks
• Candy
• Chips and other snack foods

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County), argues that the intent is to promote nutrition among recipients and reduce taxpayer burden.

Meanwhile, HB 163 aims to curb fraud in the SNAP system, citing over $17 million in benefits stolen in recent EBT skimming schemes across Ohio.

As Ohio food assistance recipients await decisions on the federal and state level about whether they will see large cuts to their benefits, some state legislators are trying to iron out other details related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Congressional budget reconciliation is ongoing in the U.S. Senate, after what anti-hunger advocates say would be a nearly 30% reduction in SNAP benefits was approved by the U.S. House in their draft of budget documents, encouraged by the Trump administration as part of efforts to slash federal spending.

Advocates say the cuts will be devastating for low-income families across the country, with rural communities disproportionately impacted, according to the national Food Research & Action Center. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks said the loss of SNAP funding would restrict services “vital for everyday Ohioans in every Congressional district.”

The potential cuts come as legislators work on the state’s SNAP program, with bills ranging from supplements to the benefits for older Ohioans to a push to prevent the defrauding of Ohioans who need the funds.

Most recently, supporters of House Bill 163 – which would make the electronic benefit cards (EBTs) that hold SNAP benefits chip-enabled, like most mainstream credit and debit cards – spoke on the impacts chip technology would offer to households. The modernization of the EBT cards would help stem fraud through “skimming,” a method of stealing information from the swipe of a card and capture of PIN numbers at checkouts.

The executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks is trying to get the word out: If the budget passed by the U.S. House of Representatives becomes reality, it could trash the state budget and make many, many Ohioans go hungry.

The matter goes next to the U.S. Senate. But the members of the Ohio delegation aren’t talking.

The House-passed Republican reconciliation budget — President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” — would hand out $4.6 trillion in tax cuts over 10 years. In an analysis, Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, estimated that 70% of the benefit would go to the “top 10% of the income distribution.”

Meanwhile, the “Department of Government Efficiency” — led by the world’s richest man — has been looking to cut services for average Americans. One place the Republican House budget seeks to achieve some of those cuts is to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Advocates recently spoke out in favor of a bill that would help Ohio college students dealing with food insecurity.

A bill that would require the Chancellor of Higher Education to create the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program had supporter testimony last week in the Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee meeting.

Advocates recently spoke out in favor of a bill that would help Ohio college students dealing with food insecurity.

A bill that would require the Chancellor of Higher Education to create the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program had supporter testimony last week in the Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee meeting.

The program would award hunger-free campus grants which could, for example, create an on-campus food pantry or a partnership with a local bank, provide students information about SNAP, have an emergency assistance grant available to students, or have a student meal plan credit donation program.

Ohio House Reps. Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, and Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, introduced Ohio House Bill 157, which had 15 people submit supporter testimony. H.B. 157 would appropriate $625,000 for fiscal year 2026 and 2027 for the program.

“The Hunger Free Campus Act would incentivize colleges and universities to establish basic needs programs, like an on-site food pantry or emergency assistance grant program as well as connecting students to resources,” said Sarah Kuhns, external affairs manager of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.