WASHINGTON — People who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in Washington are seeing a modest increase in monthly grocery assistance, but changes under HR 1 could create new financial pressure for the state and make it harder for some families to keep their benefits.
SNAP serves about 900,000 people in Washington, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That number is soon going to go down even more because under HR 1, states will have to pay 75% of administrative costs instead of 50%.
People are expected to be dropped from SNAP because states won’t be able to make up for the loss of federal funds. The shift could leave states responsible for millions of dollars in additional expenses.
Carolyn Vega, associate director of Share our Strength breaks this down.
“Children, by and large, weren’t directly targeted with the eligibility changes in HR 1, but in Washington state alone we’ve already seen almost 25,000 kids stop participating in SNAP over the past year since the law was passed,” Vega said.
Starting Oct. 1, a family of four will receive nearly $30 more each month in SNAP assistance, an increase intended to keep pace with inflation. The benefit adjustment comes as Washington and other states prepare for changes to how the federal food-assistance program is administered and funded.
Additional changes are scheduled to take effect in 2027. States with a SNAP recipient error rate above 6% would be required to fund part of their SNAP benefits themselves. That provision would add millions more in costs for state governments.
Vega said Washington received nearly $2 billion in SNAP benefits during federal fiscal year 2025.
Federal SNAP work requirements are also changing.
People younger than 18, older than 65, or living with a dependent younger than 14 would not be required to work to receive benefits.
People ages 18 through 64 who are not disabled and do not have a dependent younger than 14 would likely need to meet work requirements to remain eligible.
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