U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ray Luján, both serving in leadership roles on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and its Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research respectively, have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins raising concerns about a new plan that would require all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries to reapply for their benefits.
The senators wrote: “We write to express serious concerns and request further details about the plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to have all beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 'reapply' for their benefits. These changes appear to be duplicative of existing SNAP rules and designed to create more red tape for families seeking to put food on the table.”
They continued: “This reapplication requirement comes after repeated efforts to deny Americans in need of essential nutrition assistance. In addition to unprecedented cuts to SNAP enacted earlier this summer, decisions to disrupt food assistance during the shutdown have created additional uncertainty. We are therefore troubled that the Administration could choose, at this moment, to add additional red tape that creates duplicative and unnecessary barriers to accessing nutrition assistance for families.”
The letter points out that under current law, states are required to certify SNAP households for periods no longer than one year, with recertification needed regularly. The senators note that adding another reapplication process may be unnecessary since most recipients—who are children, elderly individuals or people with disabilities—already face regular eligibility checks.
The correspondence also includes specific questions directed at Secretary Rollins regarding how the proposed “reapplication” plan differs from current recertification processes; how it aligns with existing program rules; and when rulemaking or guidance will be issued for states and families.
In total, 32 senators signed onto the letter alongside Klobuchar and Luján.
The lawmakers requested a response from Secretary Rollins by December 1, 2025.
