Tommy Tuberville is worried this part of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will hurt Alabama
Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he is concerned about whether Alabama can afford the increased costs of an important food assistance program that would be one of the results of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” pending in the Senate.
Politico reported that Tuberville, who announced he is running for governor last week, spoke briefly about how the bill, backed by President Trump, would affect the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program, or SNAP, which was originally called food stamps..
“Everybody that’s going to be in state government is going to be concerned about it,” Tuberville told Politico in a brief interview.
“I don’t know whether we can afford it or not.”
In Alabama, an average of about 750,000 people received SNAP benefits during the last fiscal year, a total of almost $1.8 billion, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Under current law, the federal government pays the full cost of the benefits, while state’s pay half of the administrative costs, Newsweek reported.
Trump’s bill shifts more of those costs to the states.
Alabama Arise, which advocates for policies to help low-income families, says Alabama could face new costs of up to $300 million a year.
“There is real reason to worry that the Legislature can’t or wouldn’t provide this additional funding,” Alabama Arise Executive Director Robyn Hyden said in a news release after the House passed the bill.
“In that case, Alabama would be forced to cut SNAP benefits significantly – or even eliminate the program altogether for nearly 800,000 participants statewide. These cuts would send hunger soaring and devastate the economy in local communities across Alabama.”
Politico reported that Tuberville may seek changes in the bill that would scale back the increased cost for states.
The bill, more than 1,000 pages, aims to reduce federal spending and extend tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term. It passed the House 215-214 and is now in the Senate.