‘We're the frontline of defense': Food banks grapple with megabill's impact
Republicans have defended the cuts, arguing that the government needs to put its proverbial fiscal house in order and rid federal safety net programs of waste and fraud. They've pointed to high SNAP payment error rates, which measure how accurately states calculate food aid eligibility and benefits for households, as a prime example.
'The status quo, slap on the wrist penalties from USDA have failed at maintaining program integrity in SNAP,' House and Senate Agriculture committee chairs G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) said in a statement earlier this week. '[The megabill's] historic reforms will give states skin in the game on SNAP benefits and ensure they have a real incentive to improve oversight and stop improper payments before they happen.'
While some of Republicans' changes to SNAP and Medicaid won't take effect until fiscal year 2027, food banks are expecting to see increased numbers in their lines later this year, according to Hall. For example, the megabill's expanded work requirements for SNAP participants could take effect as soon as this year, potentially kicking some families out of the program within months. SNAP-Ed, a program that provides funding to food banks for nutrition education like cooking classes and tips for how to stretch a grocery budget, will also be cut.
At Feeding America West Michigan, president Kenneth Estelle says his organization is launching a major fundraising campaign in August, anticipating even higher demand prompted by SNAP cuts. Share Food Program's George Matysik said he's working closely with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to increase state resources for food banks. For example, Shapiro's budget, which the state legislature hasn't yet passed, proposes an additional $8 million for local food purchasing and emergency food assistance.
'We're the frontline of defense because there's nowhere to go for free utilities or free rent but you can get free food from your local food shelf,' said Zach Rodvold, director of public affairs at Second Harvest Heartland, a food bank in Minnesota, which recently approved a new program for food banks.
It's not entirely clear all the ways in which different pieces of the megabill will interact with each other, but many anti-hunger advocates say they fear the number of people kicked out of programs like Medicaid and SNAP could be even higher than currently estimated.
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Up next: DOGE cuts and a shutdown cliff
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Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running 'machine,' that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country.' While most Americans seem to disagree with Trump that the Republican Party is running the country smoothly, experts agree that the American political system is not designed for third parties to succeed. Challenges include institutional barriers, such as ballot access, as well as political and financial barriers, though the latter should be of no problem to Musk. Musk has suggested in posts on X that his party will aim to elect lawmakers in the 2026 midterms who will 'caucus independently' in Congress. 'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts. Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,' he posted. 'Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate,' he added later. In response to Trump, Musk mocked, 'What's Truth Social?'—referring to the platform Trump started in 2021 as an alternative to what was then known as Twitter (now X), which Musk bought in 2022. Musk also suggested that Trump is scared, invoking a line from Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel Dune: 'Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total Obliteration.' Trump, despite telling TIME in December that 'Elon puts the country long before his company' and insisting that Musk had the credibility to lead the Department of Government Efficiency amid concerns about conflicts of interest, continued to insist that Musk's opposition to the 'Big Beautiful Bill' is self-interested. 'It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time,' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning. People are now allowed to buy whatever they want - Gasoline Powered, Hybrids (which are doing very well), or New Technologies as they come about - No more EV Mandate. I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate - It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had. He said he had no problems with that - I was very surprised!' While there has never been a federal mandate to buy electric vehicles, Trump's bill does eliminate federal tax incentives for electric-vehicle owners, which is expected to hurt Musk's company Tesla. Musk insists that his main issue is with the deficit. 'What the heck was the point of @DOGE if he's just going to increase the debt by $5 trillion??' he posted Sunday. The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Budget estimates that the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' as written will add more than $4 trillion to the national debt through 2034, and if various temporary provisions are made permanent, that figure would rise to $5.5 trillion. Column: The Budget Bill's Big Consequences Trump also aimed to contrast his own allegiance to the nation with Musk's supposed self interest—and responsibilities to the companies he runs, including Tesla and SpaceX—by referencing, not by name, Jared Isaacman, a Musk associate whom Trump nominated to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration before withdrawing the nomination after his breakup with Musk. 'Additionally, Elon asked that one of his close friends run NASA and, while I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before. Elon probably was, also. I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life,' Trump ended his Truth Social rant. 'My Number One charge is to protect the American Public!'
