Latest news with #Boozman
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate referee appears open to revised GOP proposal to cut federal food assistance spending
A spokesperson for the Senate Agriculture Committee said Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough appears open to a revised Republican proposal to shift some costs for food assistance to states after rejecting the initial draft of it over the weekend. The Senate Republican plan would require states for the first time to pay a sizeable share of food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) unless they reduce the error rate for delivering benefits to below 6 percent. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said earlier Tuesday that MacDonough had accepted the revised language, but a committee spokesperson clarified that she has been 'responsive to the revised language' but hasn't made a ruling. Republican staff reworked the proposal to give states more 'flexibility' and 'information' about implementing the program. He said the revised language would achieve roughly the same level of savings as the proposal the parliamentarian ruled against over the weekend. 'It's intact. It's very little change. Just gives the states more information to work with, but as far as affecting the program or how the program works, it's the same. Again, it just gives [states] a little bit more flexibility and a little bit more information,' Boozman told The Hill. 'It's all done and it's intact. The savings are almost identical. So we're pleased by the outcome,' he added. It's a welcome piece of news for Republicans who have watched the parliamentarian reject a variety of proposals in the bill for violating the Senate's Byrd Rule, which governs what legislation is eligible to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. MacDonough had dealt Republicans a setback by ruling that the section of the GOP megabill mandating that states cover a portion of SNAP benefits depending on their error rates in delivering assistance would violate the Byrd Rule. Boozman told The Hill on Monday that the parliamentarian was primarily concerned that the legislation did not provide enough time and flexibility for states to adapt to the proposed changes. 'They were concerned that [states] wouldn't have enough time with the data that they received in order to adjust for the payment errors. Our answer to that is to come up with a fix to provide them the data sooner,' he said. 'That was the parliamentarian's concern.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate referee greenlights GOP's updated SNAP proposal in ‘big, beautiful bill'
A Republican effort to require states to cover a share of food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the first time can now move forward after a recent decision from the Senate's parliamentarian. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled a revised proposal from the Senate complied with the chamber's Byrd Rule, days after she rejected the GOP's previous 'state cost-share' proposal. As part of a sweeping plan to advance President Trump's tax agenda and reduce some federal spending, Republicans sought to require states to cover some of the cost of SNAP benefits — which are currently completely funded by the federal government — if they have a payment error rate above 6 percent beginning in fiscal 2028. The proposal in the megabill would also allow states with rates below that level to continue paying zero percent. Under the updated proposal approved by the parliamentarian, Republicans say states would be allowed to 'choose either the Fiscal Year 2025 or Fiscal Year 2026 payment error rate to calculate their state match requirement that begins in Fiscal Year 2028.' 'For Fiscal Year 2029 and following, the state match will be calculated using the payment error rate from three fiscal years prior,' the lawmakers added in a statement from the GOP-led Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. 'A state must contribute a set percentage of the cost of its SNAP benefits if its payment error rate exceeds six percent.' Republicans also noted the proposal will help incentivize states to get their payment error rates down. 'This paves the way for important reforms that improve efficiency and management of SNAP while encouraging responsible use of taxpayer dollars,' Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said in a statement. 'In 2023 alone, over $10 billion was misspent when administering this program – underscoring the need for stronger accountability,' Boozman continued. 'Our commonsense approach encourages states to adopt better practices, reduce error rates, be better stewards of taxpayer dollars, and prioritize the resources for those who truly need it.' In discussing the revised plan earlier this week, the Arkansas senator argued the updated proposal 'just gives the states more information to work with.' 'But as far as affecting the program or how the program works, it's the same,' he told The Hill. 'Again, it just gives them a little bit more flexibility and a little bit more information.' 'The savings are almost identical,' Boozman added. However, Democrats have leveled sharp criticism against the effort, which some argue could lead to states cutting benefits on their own by shifting billions of dollars in costs to states. 'Congressional Republicans have chosen to cut food assistance for millions of Americans to give tax breaks to billionaires,' Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, said in a statement Friday. 'Instead of working with Democrats to lower costs for Americans, Congressional Republicans are doubling-down on shifting costs to states that they simply cannot bear,' she added. 'We'll keep fighting these proposals that raise grocery costs and take food away from millions of people, including seniors, children, and veterans.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


The Hill
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Parliamentarian accepts revised GOP proposal to cut federal food assistance spending
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has accepted a revised Republican proposal to shift some costs for food assistance to states after rejecting the initial draft of it over the weekend, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said. The Senate Republican plan would require states for the first time to pay a sizeable share of food benefits under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) unless they reduce the error rate for delivering benefits to below six percent. Boozman told reporters Tuesday that Republican staff reworked the proposal to give states more 'flexibility' and 'information' about implementing the program. He said the revised language would achieve roughly the same level of savings as the proposal the parliamentarian ruled against over the weekend. 'It's intact. It's very little change. Just gives the states more information to work with but as far as affecting the program or how the program works, it's the same. Again, it just gives [states] a little bit more flexibility and a little bit more information,' Boozman told The Hill. 'It's all done and it's intact. The savings are almost identical. So we're pleased by the outcome,' he added. It's a welcome piece of news for Republicans who have watched the parliamentarian reject a variety of proposals in the bill for violating the Senate's Byrd Rule, which governs what legislation is eligible to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. MacDonough had dealt Republicans a setback by ruling that the section of the GOP megabill mandating that states cover a portion of SNAP benefits depending on their error rates in delivering assistance would violate the Byrd Rule. Boozman told The Hill Monday that the parliamentarian was primarily concerned that the legislation did not provide enough time and flexibility for states to adapt to the proposed changes. 'They were concerned that [states] wouldn't have enough time with the data that they received in order to adjust for the payment errors. Our answer to that is to come up with a fix to provides them the data sooner,' he said. 'That was the parliamentarian's concern.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate GOP Seeks to Scale Back Food Aid Cuts in Trump Tax Bill
(Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans plan to scale back cuts to federal food aid for the poor that their counterparts in the House used to help pay for Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, a key senator said Wednesday. Trump's Military Parade Has Washington Bracing for Tanks and Weaponry Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future NYC Renters Brace for Price Hikes After Broker-Fee Ban NY Long Island Rail Service Resumes After Grand Central Fire NYC Mayoral Candidates All Agree on Building More Housing. But Where? The Senate version of the tax legislation would exempt states that keep their food stamp payment error rates low from a new cost-shifting provision House Republican imposed requiring state governments to cover as much as a quarter of the cost of federal food stamps received by their residents, Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman said. Boozman, whose committee has jurisdiction over portions of the legislation covering federal food aid and farm subsidies, said the Senate version also would exempt parents of children younger than 10 years old from work requirements for food assistance. The House version of the tax bill imposes work requirements on parents once their children turn 7 years old. The House version of the legislation would require states to pay between 5% and 25% of the cost of benefits their residents receive through federal food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. States with lower payment error rates would pay a smaller share of food stamp costs. The new requirements for SNAP will be delayed to 2028 to give states time to adjust, Boozman said. The Senate version would exempt states with a payment error rate below 6% from the cost-sharing requirement, Boozman said. Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee considered the House version too burdensome on states, the Arkansas senator said. New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software American Mid: Hampton Inn's Good-Enough Formula for World Domination The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Mint
11-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Senate GOP Seeks to Scale Back Food Aid Cuts in Trump Tax Bill
Bloomberg Updated 12 Jun 2025, 02:52 AM IST Senate Republicans plan to scale back cuts to federal food aid for the poor that their counterparts in the House used to help pay for Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, a key senator said Wednesday. The Senate version of the tax legislation would exempt states that keep their food stamp payment error rates low from a new cost-shifting provision House Republican imposed requiring state governments to cover as much as a quarter of the cost of federal food stamps received by their residents, Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman said. Boozman, whose committee has jurisdiction over portions of the legislation covering federal food aid and farm subsidies, said the Senate version also would exempt parents of children younger than 10 years old from work requirements for food assistance. The House version of the tax bill imposes work requirements on parents once their children turn 7 years old. The House version of the legislation would require states to pay between 5% and 25% of the cost of benefits their residents receive through federal food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SN. States with lower payment error rates would pay a smaller share of food stamp costs. The new requirements for SN will be delayed to 2028 to give states time to adjust, Boozman said. The Senate version would exempt states with a payment error rate below 6% from the cost-sharing requirement, Boozman said. Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee considered the House version too burdensome on states, the Arkansas senator said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.