SNAP Benefits: Claiming 'Not a Single Dollar Cut' While CBO Documents $295 Billion in Reductions

Why this matters in a rural district

In NY-23, SNAP is not an urban welfare program. It is off-season food stability for farm families, nutrition for elderly residents who can’t drive to the next county for groceries, and the difference between eating and not eating for one in eight people in Steuben County. When a representative says “not a single dollar is cut,” residents living on these benefits need to know whether that’s true.

Source: WGRZ Debate, Press Statements Reported by: WGRZ Buffalo, Multiple Local News Outlets

2025: “My colleagues continue to peddle fear and misinformation about H.R. 1, falsely claiming it makes devastating cuts to SNAP. The truth is, not a single dollar is cut from benefits.”

Langworthy has repeatedly defended the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) against criticism that it cuts food assistance, stating that claims of SNAP reductions are “lies” and “fear-mongering.”

A. Benefit Cuts: What Happens to the Money

The CBO is nonpartisan. Its job is to score what bills actually cost. Here is what it found.

The $295 Billion Reduction

Congressional Budget Office Analysis (May 2025):

The CBO estimates H.R. 1 would reduce SNAP spending by approximately $295 billion over 2026-2034 — roughly a 30% reduction and the largest cut to SNAP in nearly 30 years.

Langworthy voted Yes (218-214, July 3, 2025).

How the bill reduces spending:

1. Limits USDA Authority to Adjust Thrifty Food Plan

   • The Thrifty Food Plan determines SNAP benefit levels
   • Bill restricts USDA’s ability to update benefit calculations for inflation and food costs
   • Result: Benefits do not keep pace with actual food prices

2. Tightens Categorical Eligibility

   • Restricts states’ ability to provide “broad-based categorical eligibility”
   • Makes it harder for working families to qualify based on participation in other programs

In plain language: The maximum benefit amount may technically stay the same — but if food costs rise 20% and benefits don’t follow, that is a cut to purchasing power. And if millions lose eligibility entirely, the program is spending less because fewer people receive help.

The Semantics Defense

Langworthy’s claim that “not a single dollar is cut from benefits” appears to rely on a technical distinction: the maximum benefit level doesn’t formally decrease.

What actually happens:

• Benefit levels don’t keep pace with food cost increases → functional cut
• Millions lose eligibility entirely → direct cut
• Administrative barriers prevent eligible people from receiving benefits → access cut

Net result: $295 billion less in SNAP spending over 10 years. The CBO does not call this “fear-mongering.” It calls it a budget score.

B. Work Requirements in a Rural Economy

Work requirements don’t create jobs. In a county with seasonal agriculture and a 16% poverty rate, they eliminate assistance for people who can’t find work that doesn’t exist.

Expanded Work Requirements

H.R. 1 extends work requirements from ages 18-49 to ages 18-64, and reduces exemptions for caregivers and people experiencing homelessness.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities / Urban Institute Analysis:

• 40 million people receive SNAP benefits nationally, including 17 million children
• Work requirement expansions could cause 5.4 million people to lose benefits monthly (Urban Institute estimate)
• CBO projects 2.4 million people nationally will lose SNAP coverage in a typical month

Who gets cut in NY-23:

• Seasonal farm workers between harvests — agricultural employment in the Southern Tier is not year-round
• People aged 50-64 facing age discrimination in a job market with limited employers
• Caregivers whose responsibilities don’t meet the bill’s narrow exemption criteria
• Anyone in a rural area where the nearest qualifying employer is 30 miles away and there’s no public transit

In plain language: The bill assumes people can find 80 hours of monthly work. In rural Steuben County, many can’t — not because they refuse, but because the jobs aren’t there. Seasonal agriculture, limited employers, and no bus routes make compliance a geography problem, not a motivation problem.

C. The County Cost Shift

Beyond benefit cuts, the bill shifts administrative costs from federal to local — meaning counties must either raise taxes or reduce their capacity to help residents apply.

SNAP Administrative Cost Shift

The OBBBA reduces the federal SNAP administrative cost share from 50% to 25% starting FY2027. This means counties like Steuben must either:

• Absorb the cost difference through local tax revenue
• Reduce the administrative capacity to process SNAP applications
• Or both — creating a compounding effect where fewer staff process applications for a program with more restrictive eligibility requirements

Steuben County: The Local Numbers

County Manager Jack Wheeler confirmed at an August 7, 2025 Health and Human Services Committee meeting: “the Big Beautiful Bill will result in Steuben County getting less money coming in from the federal SNAP program.”

Steuben County Legislature Chair Kelly H. Fitzpatrick sent a formal letter to Langworthy on October 30, 2025 — during a 43-day government shutdown — urging protection of SNAP and HEAP funding: “Counties like Steuben are on the front lines of delivering these essential programs. SNAP and HEAP are lifelines for families, seniors, and individuals meeting their most basic needs — food and heat.”

Corning Democrat Joe Tobia criticized the OBBBA’s Medicaid and SNAP provisions at the August 7 committee meeting. No public response from Langworthy to the county’s concerns has been documented.

Food Bank Pressure

FeedMore WNY (serving Western New York) reported a 16% increase in food assistance need in 2024. SNAP cuts would increase pressure on food banks that are already struggling to meet demand.

When SNAP contracts, food banks absorb the difference — with fewer resources and more demand.

NY-23 SNAP Statistics

According to New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) data:

• Approximately 4 in 25 households in NY-23 receive SNAP benefits
• Most recipients are children, elderly, or disabled
• Rural areas have higher rates of food insecurity than urban areas

State-Level Projections

Governor Hochul’s office projects the OBBBA will cause:

• 300,000+ households to lose SNAP benefits statewide
• 1.5 million New Yorkers to lose Medicaid coverage
• $8 billion in annual cuts to hospitals and health systems
• The Rockefeller Institute estimates the managed care tax restriction could cost New York $1.5 billion annually starting 2026

Assessment

Langworthy’s claim that “not a single dollar is cut from benefits” is contradicted by the CBO’s $295 billion budget score.

The bill reduces spending through three mechanisms — freezing benefit calculations, expanding work requirements, and tightening eligibility — each of which results in fewer people receiving less help. Whether the maximum benefit level technically stays the same is irrelevant to the families who lose access entirely.

The county’s own government has warned of devastating local impacts from legislation Langworthy voted for. The county manager says the county will lose money. The legislature chair wrote directly to Langworthy calling SNAP and HEAP “lifelines.” No response has been documented.

Verdict: FALSE — The CBO documents $295 billion in SNAP spending reductions. Calling documented budget analysis “lies” and “fear-mongering” does not change the numbers.

For a shorter summary of what SNAP changes mean for NY-23 families, see: What SNAP Changes Mean for NY-23 Families

Sources

Congressional Budget Office:

• CBO: “Budgetary Effects of H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (May 2025)
• CBO SNAP baseline projections and impact analysis

Policy Analysis:

• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “House Reconciliation Bill Would Cut SNAP for Millions” (2025)
• Urban Institute: “SNAP Work Requirements Analysis” (2025)

Langworthy Statements:

• WGRZ Buffalo debate coverage (2025)
• Multiple press releases defending H.R. 1 (2025)

Local Context:

• New York State OTDA: SNAP participation data by congressional district
• FeedMore WNY: Annual report and press releases (2024)
• WSKG: Steuben County SNAP administration funding impact reporting
• Steuben County Legislature: Chair Fitzpatrick letter to federal representatives (October 30, 2025)
• Steuben County Health and Human Services Committee: August 7, 2025 meeting (Jack Wheeler, Joe Tobia statements)
• FRED/Census: Steuben County SNAP recipient data (2022)
• Governor Hochul’s office: OBBBA state-level impact projections
• Rockefeller Institute: Managed care tax restriction cost estimates

Congressional Record:

• H.R. 1 vote record: Langworthy voted YES (218-214, July 3, 2025)
• Bill text: SNAP provisions — work requirements (ages 18-64), admin cost share (50% to 25%), parent exemptions (under 18 to under 14)

Related Fact-Checks:

• FactCheck.org: “False Claims About SNAP Cuts”
• PolitiFact: SNAP work requirements analysis
• Related: Steuben County: Ten Federal Funding Claims Examined
• Related: What Federal Policy Is Actually Doing to Steuben County

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from congressional records, CBO analysis, and independent policy research. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Last updated: February 9, 2026