Trump's time bomb threatens GOP 'at the very moment' voters cast ballots: report

A slow-rolling change buried in President Donald Trump's signature law is hitting Americans' wallets right as Republicans need their votes most.

Politico reported Saturday that changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, pushed through in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are taking effect in waves just as the midterms approach. More than 5 million people had dropped off food stamp rolls nationwide by this summer, and in Arizona, the hardest-hit state, more than half of recipients lost their benefits.

Democrats see an opening. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, told Politico that the timing could hardly be worse for Republicans.

"People are getting kicked off these programs at the very moment they're going to the polls to vote," Craig said. "I sure wouldn't want to be a Republican headed into the November ballot."

Republicans in tight races don't appear eager to talk about it. Ten frontline GOP House campaigns did not answer Politico's requests to discuss how they plan to win on the issue, and candidates touting the megalaw tend to lead with its tax breaks instead.

The pain isn't limited to individual recipients. As of October 1, states and counties cover 75 percent of the program's administrative costs, up from half. A year from now, states with high payment error rates will have to pick up part of the benefit costs themselves for the first time.

Barbara Guinn, who heads New York's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, is bracing for a possible $1 billion hit to her state next year. "It really sets up a change in the federal responsibility, and I view it as a slippery slope," Guinn said.

Craig said some Minnesota counties are weighing steep property tax hikes to cover the gap, adding that many Republican county commissioners in her state are among those asking for a two-year delay. Senate Republicans have offered to postpone the shift by one year in farm bill talks, while Democrats are holding out for longer.

The Trump administration argues the overhaul is about protecting taxpayers. A senior USDA official told Politico that able-bodied recipients should log 20 hours a week of work, training or volunteering. “There needs to be some level of accountability,” the official said, adding that states with high error rates “need to start to have skin in the game.”