The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Texas was the subject of a major debate from March to April 2025. Senate Bill 379 (SB 379) was passed by the state Senate.
Its goal is to stop people from using benefits to buy things that low-income people who get these kinds of “food stamps” really like. The plan was not put into action right away, but its progress sets a standard for future reforms.
SNAP benefits are part of a federal program run by the US Department of Agriculture. They are meant to give American families money to buy healthy foods.
There are about 42 million people in the United States who receive these awards. Information from the state of Texas shows that 3.4 million people depend on this money.
Now, SNAP benefits are restricted: Products you can’t buy from now on
Even though SB 379 passed with 22-8 votes on April 1, 2025, it still needs to be approved by the Texas House of Representatives, signed by the governor, and backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Its goal is to get the program back on track with its original goal, which was to encourage healthy eating. “Taxpayer money should not pay for foods that are bad for you,” Senator Mayes Middleton, who pushed for the law, said.
Some people who are against the measure, like Senator Borris Miles, say it will hurt people who live in “food deserts,” which are places where it is hard to get fresh food.
“Killing choices without fixing the lack of infrastructure is not fair,” he said. Twelve percent of Texans live in areas with few supermarkets, which will make it hard to follow the new rules if they are approved.
This means that if SB 379 goes too far, the limits will start to apply in September 2025. But groups like Make Texans Healthy Again and people who disagree with them do not want to change their minds.
Some people like that the measure focuses on public health, but others say it does not do anything about structural inequalities like how fresh food stores are spread out in rural and underserved urban areas. Should the bill become law, Texas will not be able to have as many sweets, junk food, or soft drinks.
SNAP benefits payments in Texas in April
While lawmakers decide what to do with this legislation, SNAP recipients continued to receive payments based on their Eligibility Determination Group (EDG). Households that were certified before June 1, 2020 get benefits between the 1 and the 15 of ever month, depending on the last digit of their EDG number. The payment table for the coming days is as follows:
- EDG ending in 0: Benefits available on April 1st
- EDG ending in 1: Benefits available on April 3
- EDG ending in 2: Benefits available on April 5
- EDG ending in 3: Benefits available on April 6
- EDG ending in 4: Benefits available on April 7
- EDG ending in 5: Benefits available on April 9
- EDG ending in 6: Benefits available on April 11
- EDG ending in 7: Benefits available on April 12
- EDG ending in 8: Benefits available on April 13
- EDG ending in 9: Benefits available on April 15
As of October 2024, the 2.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) was still in effect, which meant that aid amounts went up by a small amount. This change, which is related to inflation, is meant to slow down the rise in food prices. For families with adults who are elderly or disabled, eligibility rules stayed flexible, giving them priority access without making them meet work requirements.
Not all families can get up to $1,756, but some can. This “maximum” amount is for households with 8 people. The following are the maximum payments for the fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 2024 to September 2025:
- Household size 1: $292
- Household size 2: $536
- Household size 3: $768
- Household size 4: $975
- Household size 5: $1,158
- Household size 6: $1,390
- Household size 7: $1,536
- Household size 8: $1,756
- Each additional person: $220
Since Texas is one of these 48 states that are connected, these values are the ones that SNAP recipients in Texas will use this year.
