**Florida Seniors Face Potential Cuts in Food Assistance Amid Congressional Budget Debate**

As Congress deliberates on budget cuts, thousands of Floridians who rely on food assistance programs are bracing for a potential crisis. Alida Gonzalez, a 79-year-old resident of Cutler Bay, exemplifies the predicament faced by many elderly citizens. Despite the $100 she receives monthly from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Gonzalez finds herself constantly crunching numbers to make ends meet.

SNAP, a vital government program since 1939, currently supports nearly 3 million Floridians. Recent legislative developments, however, could significantly alter this support system. House Republicans recently approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which proposes a $300 billion reduction in federal SNAP funds over the next decade. The bill also includes provisions requiring states to share the program's costs and expanding work requirements for older recipients and some parents.

Proponents like South Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar—whose District 27 has approximately 17% of households benefiting from SNAP—endorse the cuts as a means to curb the misuse of federal programs. Despite her support, Salazar did not respond to inquiries for comment. Should the Senate approve these changes and President Donald Trump sign them into law, Florida may need to allocate $1.6 billion to sustain current SNAP benefits. This is a pressing issue since SNAP aids around 13% of Florida's population.

The stakes are high, as Florida's 2.9 million SNAP recipients drew $6.4 billion from the federally funded program in 2023, with an average disbursement of $184 per user monthly. Children and seniors constitute 38% and 24% of the recipients respectively, and over half of the households on SNAP include someone with a disability. In Miami-Dade County alone, about 25% of households depend on SNAP, a percentage that ranks fifth highest among Florida counties. Within this county, 40% of SNAP households feature children, while 60% include seniors.

Gonzalez and her neighbor, Rigoberto Zarza, are emblematic of the broader community's struggles. Zarza, an 86-year-old and staunch Trump supporter, also relies on the $100 monthly SNAP benefits and has abstained from buying meat due to its high costs. He fears that cutting SNAP funds could severely impact retirees living on fixed incomes.

Feeding South Florida, the region's largest food bank, estimates that 400,000 Miami-Dade residents are food insecure—a 50% increase since 2019. Jared Nordlund from UnidosUS warns that reducing SNAP benefits could exacerbate hunger, harm local economies, and potentially increase crime as people struggle to feed their families.

Historically, the federal government has borne the full cost of SNAP, but the proposed bill would shift at least 5% of the financial responsibility to states by 2028. States like Florida, which have a history of miscalculation issues, might end up funding up to 25% of their SNAP needs.

The bill also toughens work requirements, mandating that able-bodied individuals aged 18 to 64 work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for benefits. This change poses significant challenges, particularly for those in their 50s and 60s, who may find it difficult to secure employment within the obligatory three-month period. Although an exemption was made for Cuban nationals without permanent residency, aimed at addressing local political realities, critics argue it underscores inequities in the proposed policy.

As Florida grapples with a projected $10 billion deficit over the next three years, the prospects of the state government filling the SNAP funding gaps appear bleak. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and state Sen. Shevrin Jones express deep skepticism about Florida's willingness to assume additional SNAP costs, highlighting the political and economic complexities involved.

The anticipated changes to SNAP are raising concerns across both the political spectrum and the socioeconomic landscape, emphasizing the critical role that food assistance programs play in the lives of millions of Floridians.