NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A bipartisan group of more than 200 mayors across the country, including Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, is urging Congress to reject additional cuts to SNAP benefits, warning the changes could deepen hunger across Tennessee.
Advocates say they are already seeing the effects of changes made through HR1, the federal law passed last summer that added new work requirements and changed eligibility rules for food assistance.
“At the Tennessee Justice Center, our SNAP caseload is nearly at an all-time high,” said Anna Grace Dastugue, director of nutrition policy for the Tennessee Justice Center.
Dastugue said families across Tennessee are calling after losing benefits or struggling to navigate new requirements.
One of her first clients was a 67-year-old grandfather who recently took custody of his young grandson.
“He is 67, so not subject to new work requirements, but bouncing back and forth between work, trying to make ends meet,” Dastugue said. “The change in income means he has to change his information for DHS, which means he has to have technology literacy to submit those changes.”
Advocates say some of the biggest changes now affect people experiencing homelessness, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care.
“So now people that are homeless are subject to work requirements,” Dastugue said. “Veterans, children aging out of foster care — they’ve drastically limited qualified immigration statuses that can participate in SNAP.”
O’Connell joined mayors nationwide in signing a letter urging Congress to reject additional cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.
According to the mayor’s office, nearly 30,000 Nashville households rely on SNAP benefits, including working families, seniors, children and people with disabilities.
“When you take away SNAP benefits, the impact that has on individuals and families is drastic because we’re talking about someone’s most basic need: food,” Dastugue said.
She said Tennessee has already seen about 100,000 fewer people enrolled in SNAP since the law passed.
Under the new law, states with higher SNAP payment error rates — including paperwork or processing mistakes — could soon be required to help pay part of SNAP benefit costs themselves.
Beginning in fiscal year 2028, states will be required to pay a share of SNAP benefit costs if their program error rates exceed 6%
“9.44(%) is the most recent fiscal year data that we have,” Dastugue said. “Which means we’ll owe 10% of the SNAP benefit amount in Tennessee.”
Advocates are now asking Congress for a two-year delay before those costs shift to states, arguing Tennessee needs more time to implement the federal changes.
“Without a two-year delay, you’re answering two questions,” Dastugue said. “How is the state going to pay for between 160 and 170 million just for the benefit share? And then what are people going to do if the state can’t pay that and they don’t have SNAP?”
O’Connell sharply criticized the cuts in a statement released Thursday.
“It’s shameful that a Republican-controlled Congress and White House are making it harder for people to eat in the most abundant economy in the world,” the mayor said.
He also pointed to growing strain on local food banks, saying Second Harvest Food Bank has lost about 30% of the food it previously received through USDA programs — roughly 700,000 pounds of produce, dairy and protein each quarter.
As lawmakers debate future changes, Dastugue said Tennesseans can help by learning more about SNAP, volunteering at food banks and contacting lawmakers.
“At some point, there’s a level of shared humanity when it comes to hunger,” she said.
O’Connell and other mayors are pushing for SNAP protections to be included in the next Farm Bill.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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