With thousands of Bay Staters expected to lose access to food assistance benefits under the federal megalaw, Gov. Maura Healey launched a task force to help Massachusetts navigate the massive SNAP cuts.
Healey established the group through an executive order Thursday, bringing together Cabinet secretaries and agency leaders (or their designees), SNAP recipients, farmers and small business owners, plus leaders of food banks and nonprofits.
The panel will also coordinate with existing food security initiatives, including Make Hunger History, which encompasses more than 300 organizations led by Project Bread, Healey's office said.
"President Trump's cuts are going to force millions of people – children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities – into hunger. They're also going to hurt local farmers and retailers who rely on these programs to support their business and create jobs," Healey said in a statement. "In Massachusetts, we won't accept that."
One in six Massachusetts residents receive benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Under the "big beautiful bill" President Donald Trump signed into law this month, 175,000 SNAP recipients -- including legally present immigrants -- could lose some or all of their benefits, according to the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
Among a string of policy changes, Massachusetts will need to adjust to a new cost-sharing structure, in which states will be responsible for 75% of SNAP administrative costs, compared to the prior 50% level, MLRI said. Healey has estimated that change alone could cost Massachusetts around $53 million annually.
Massachusetts could also be on the hook to cover $396 million annually starting in October 2027 depending on the state's payment error rate, according to MLRI.
"These federal changes will rip food assistance away from thousands of older adults, working families and immigrant communities, forcing them to choose between rent and groceries while dumping up to $400 million in costs onto our state and our taxpayers," Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Jeff McCue said. "Governor Healey's Anti-Hunger Taskforce represents the bold, compassionate leadership Massachusetts residents deserve, bringing together everyone from state agencies to local farmers to build real solutions when the federal government has failed them."
The task force is charged with making recommendations "for mitigating the direct and indirect impacts of federal SNAP cuts and program changes to Massachusetts," according to Healey's order. The panel will also work to strengthen collaboration across the public, private and nonprofit sectors; explore collaboration or partnership opportunities across northeastern states; and recommend long-term strategies to alleviate hunger and food insecurity.
The task force's first meeting has not been scheduled yet, according to a Healey spokesperson.