Beginning Oct. 1, Maryland and every other state will have to cover a significantly larger share of the cost of administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), under provisions of the federal reconciliation law — commonly known as H.R. 1 or the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — signed by President Trump in July 2025.
The law raises states’ share of SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 75%, cutting the federal government’s contribution to 25%. According to an estimate from the No Kid Hungry campaign’s Center for Best Practices, the change will cost Maryland roughly $105 million this year, a figure the group projects could rise to about $379 million annually once the state also begins sharing in the cost of SNAP benefits themselves — a cost historically borne entirely by the federal government.
A Maryland Department of Human Services analysis of an earlier version of the legislation, prepared in mid-2025, similarly projected the administrative cost shift alone would raise the state’s contribution from about $115 million to roughly $172.5 million a year, on top of Maryland’s more than $1.6 billion in annual SNAP benefit spending. Precise final-law figures can differ from that earlier estimate depending on how the cost-share formula and benefit-cost provisions were ultimately implemented.
The cost increase comes as SNAP participation in Maryland has already declined sharply. According to a tracker maintained by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Maryland’s SNAP participation fell by nearly 34,000 people — about 5% — between July 2025 and July 2026, including a decline of more than 16,000 children. CBPP attributes much of the decline nationally to new work requirements and eligibility changes enacted under the same law.
More than 684,000 Marylanders, including over 270,000 children, relied on SNAP as of the most recent state estimates, with average monthly benefits around $180 per person.
Laura Rice, manager of media and public affairs for the No Kid Hungry campaign, said states need more time to adjust to the funding shift.
“Maryland, and all states, need time to figure out a way to make this work,” Rice said. “With state legislative sessions right around the corner, Congress must act soon to reverse these cuts, or at the very least pass a two-year delay to the benefit cost share.”
No Kid Hungry is a national anti-hunger advocacy campaign run by the nonprofit Share Our Strength; its estimates and interpretation of the law’s impact reflect the organization’s advocacy position and have not been independently verified by the Chronicle beyond cross-referencing with Maryland DHS and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities figures cited above.
