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(Nebraska) -- There are opposing views on how President Trump's budget proposal will affect people in Nebraska. The budget includes changes to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
"Given the weather and how Nebraska could bear that cost shift, we are talking about 150,000 Nebraskans who currently utilize the program. Taking support away from some of the most hard-hit, lowest-paid Nebraskans in order to pass that along in the form of tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations that don't need it," said James Goddard with the group Nebraska Appleseed.
But Republican U.S. Congressman Don Bacon says there are no SNAP cuts for people who qualify.
"If somebody tells you we cut SNAP, it's baloney. We protected the SNAP benefits for those who need it," said Bacon.
President Trumps budget proposal includes $300 billion in cuts to SNAP over 10 years. These cuts would be achieved by shifting a portion of SNAP costs to states and tightening eligibility requirements. Supporters of the budget argue that the changes are aimed at reducing federal spending, while critics say the changes could increase food insecurity among vulnerable populations.
Bacon, who voted to approve the Trump budget, says the proposal would shift some of the SNAP costs to states.
"The initial proposal was that Nebraska would pay $80 million a year to offset the cost of SNAP. I got it down to $30 million," said Bacon.
The budget bill still needs approval from the U.S. Senate.