The farm bill negotiations are hung up in part over new federal requirements that shift more of the cost of SNAP onto states. Beginning next year, states will have to cover a larger share of SNAP administrative costs, while a separate cost-sharing requirement for food benefits takes effect in 2027 and will be tied to each state’s payment error rate. Minnesota officials estimate the benefit cost shift alone could mean roughly 97 million dollars a year in new costs for the state based on its recent error rate. 

President of the Minnesota Farmers Union, Gary Wertish, speaks about how Minnesota DFLers are responding to the cost shift in SNAP benefits: 

Wertish warns new federal SNAP cost-sharing requirements could eventually mean higher property taxes in rural Minnesota. He says there’s hope Farm Bill negotiators can agree to a two-year delay, giving states more time to prepare: 

The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the farm bill earlier this month, but a full Senate vote is not expected until after the November elections. The House passed its version in April, leaving negotiators to work toward a compromise before a final bill can reach the president’s desk.