As President Donald Trump prepares to sign the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law, Atlanta’s largest food bank warns that cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will dramatically increase the demand for food assistance in Georgia.

How many Georgians receive SNAP benefits?

Local perspective:

With 1.4 million Georgians receiving SNAP benefits, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Georgians will lose their primary way of buying food. The Atlanta Community Food Bank, which supplies hundreds of food pantries in the state, says that would harm a lot of families.

Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, says the demand for food across metro Atlanta has increased significantly in just a short time.

“Our demand has increased by 60% over the last three years,” Waide said. “We have about 4-5 million pounds of food in inventory right now.”

‘Big, beautiful’ bill SNAP requirements

Dig deeper:

The bill requires parents of children 14 or older to meet work requirements. It also bumps up the work requirement age to 64. It cuts nutrition funding by nearly 200 billion dollars by 2034.

“To replace that food, we would essentially have to double our volume overnight,” Waide said. “And obviously, that’s not possible.”

He worries families will be forced to start making difficult decisions.

“People are going to stop buying medication so that they can afford food. They’re going to start putting their kids in childcare so that they can afford food. They’ll stop seeking medical treatment so they can afford food.”

What’s in the new ‘big, beautiful’ bill?

Big picture view:

The 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it is now formally titled, cuts spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending tax cuts.

The spending bill’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks passed in President Donald Trump’s first term, in 2017, that would expire if Congress failed to act, along with new ones. This includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year.

There’s also a $350-billion investment in national security and Trump’s deportation agenda and to help develop the “Golden Dome” defensive system over the U.S.

To neutralize the costs of lost tax revenue, the spending bill includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks to Medicaid healthcare and food stamps, largely by imposing new work requirements, including for some parents and older people, and a massive rollback of green energy investments.

According to the Associated Press, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the spending package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.

Republicans aren’t concerned over SNAP cuts

What they’re saying:

Republican State Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-1) believes those who lose SNAP benefits under the bill will be the ones who didn’t need them.

“I’m not in the least way concerned that people who are deserving to be on the program aren’t going to be on the program,” Carter said.

He says the financial benefits, like no taxes on tips and overtime and a decrease in taxes on Social Security, from the bill will make up for any lost benefits to Georgians.

Who will lose SNAP benefits?

What’s next:

Carter says it’s going to be up to the state to make sure those losing the benefits can actually live without them. 

“Only people who are eligible should be on those programs,” Carter said. 

But Waide says in his experience they don’t see a lot of people using SNAP benefits who don’t really need them.

 “The vast majority of people who receive SNAP benefits are kids and seniors and folks who have disabilities,” he said. 

He worries especially that a lot of children will not get the nutrition they need. 

Waide said the food bank is currently working on a plan to try and increase their inventory to help more people, but he says they likely will never be able to help everyone who loses their SNAP benefits.