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New Budget Law Shifts SNAP Cuts to States – Washington Faces $100M Hit Over 0.98% Gap

By Food Lifeline Staff | Wednesday July 22, 2026

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Under H.R. 1, states with a SNAP administrative payment error rate over 6% must partially cover administrative costs previously covered by the federal government.

Before the H.R. 1 federal budget bill was passed, the U.S. government paid for the administrative costs for SNAP, a federal hunger relief program.

The errors are not fraud; they are administrative inaccuracies of under- or -ver-payment made while implementing a very complex process for participants.

Washington’s error rate is 6.98%, just .98% over the threshold, resulting in an estimated $100M per year in new state costs starting in October 1, 2027.