SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — If the cuts hold, the federal budget just passed in the U.S. House could cost South Dakota about $14 million in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a state official said Friday.
“Right now, there is talk of shifting 5% of the costs in the budget to the state,” Brandy Miesner, the chief budget analyst for the state’s Bureau of Finance Management told the legislature’s interim appropriations committee on Friday.
Miesner said BFM estimates that could cost the state about $9 million.
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The budget still needs to pass in the Senate where it could change.
For now, if the cost share for administrative costs shifts from 50% to 75% for the state’s share, that is an additional $4 million to $5 million, Miesner said.
The Congressional Budget Office said on May 20 that the preliminary estimated impact of President Donald Trump’s budget that passed in the House would be a $267 billion cut in federal spending for SNAP from 2026-2034.
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“The agency estimates that in general, resources would decrease for households in the lowest decile (tenth) of the income distribution, whereas resources would increase for households inthe highest decile,” the Congressional Budget Office said.
Among those who use SNAP are South Dakota residents who could be using Feeding South Dakota, said Lori Dykstra, the chief executive officer of Feeding South Dakota. Dykstra was at Friday’s appropriations meeting to discuss federal cuts to USDA and other programs used by Feeding South Dakota.
Dykstra talked with the committee and was invited back to another meeting in July.
To qualify for SNAP in South Dakota, households must have gross monthly income lower than 130% of the federal poverty level.
If there are new federal rules on SNAP that cause fewer people to be eligible, “we will see more people,” Dykstra said of Feeding South Dakota food events.
Dykstra said Feeding South Dakota wants people to use SNAP because that means they are shopping at local grocery stores which is good for the individuals and those communities.
But possible SNAP cuts come as the demand for Feeding South Dakota food is higher than ever.
Dykstra said food insecurity in the state continues to grow at 12.4%. “That the highest since 2011-2014. It’s higher than the pandemic,” Dykstra said.
“I know South Dakota has a lot of working poor,” appropriations member Republican Rep. Scott Moore said. He asked if Feeding South Dakota provided any material that directed people to resources to become more self sufficient.
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Dykstra said the organization is working with a South Dakota State University Extension program to put materials about resources for seeking a job, balancing a checkbook and similar in food distribution boxes.
Dysktra said it’s not just SNAP that causes concerns its cuts to USDA programs that provide food resources to Feeding South Dakota. The expected cuts next year are $2.5 million, she said.
Appropriations member Republican Rep. Liz May asked if Dykstra had any data to determine who many users were on SNAP benefits.
“We don’t have completely clean data,” Dykstra said. Ideally, people would be using SNAP benefits but the organization also knows that SNAP may not cover all the needs each month. When that happens, individuals come to Feeding South Dakota, she said.
“I know there’s gotta be abuse…,” appropriations member Republican Sen. Glen Vilhauer said of Feeding South Dakota. It’s a good program but he’s been at distribution events in Watertown, and does Dykstra have any “sense” of possible abuse?
Later, appropriations member Republican Sen. Larry Zickmund said he had a question similar to Vilhauer’s.
Feeding South Dakota mobile sites use eligibility requirements, Dykstra said. For example, if a user has an income of $50 more than USDA guidelines, that user will not get USDA food but will still get a food box with other items, she said.
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