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A major Republican effort to slash federal spending and offset the cost of President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax plan suffered a major blow Friday after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a central piece of the proposal — shifting food stamp costs to states — violates Senate rules.
The decision, issued late Friday and confirmed Saturday by top lawmakers, undercuts one of the GOP’s largest proposed savings, potentially removing up to $128 billion in projected offsets from the sweeping budget reconciliation package. That package aims to extend Trump-era tax cuts and introduce new tax breaks ahead of the 2026 expiration date for many provisions.
While the parliamentarian’s rulings are technically advisory, they are almost never overruled. The decision leaves Republican leadership scrambling to make last-minute adjustments to a bill they hope to pass before the Fourth of Julyholiday.
SNAP Cost Shift Rejected
At issue was a GOP proposal to make states pay a larger share of costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). For decades, SNAP — commonly referred to as food stamps — has been primarily federally funded.
The Senate Agriculture Committee’s attempt to rework the program was a cornerstone of Republican savings. But the parliamentarian ruled the change violates the Byrd Rule, a strict guideline limiting what can be included in a reconciliation bill — a process used to bypass a Senate filibuster with a simple majority vote.
“The Parliamentarian has made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee.
Budget in Crisis
The ruling is the latest in a series of challenges to the sprawling, 1,000-page Republican bill, which passed the House last month along party lines. In the Senate, the bill faces heightened scrutiny not only from Democrats but from Senate rules officials, who have found multiple provisions in violation of the chamber’s standards.
The bill seeks to extend key Trump-era tax cuts, eliminate federal income taxes on tips and overtime pay, and boost military and national security spending — including $350 billion for Trump’s mass deportation initiative.
To offset the lost revenue, GOP lawmakers proposed deep cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and health care, totaling about $1 trillion. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill could add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over 10 years and strip health care coverage from 10.9 million people.
Democratic Backlash and More Rulings Ahead
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the ruling a “small but important win,” adding that the full package still contains “the most brutal assault on food assistance in American history.” Schumer told Democrats in a Saturday conference call that they would continue to raise procedural and moral objections.
“Senate Republicans are hell bent on paying for tax cuts for billionaires by ripping food out of the mouths of kids, seniors, veterans and families,” Schumer said.
Additionally, the parliamentarian rejected other provisions — including a GOP proposal to bar certain immigrants from accessing SNAP and a $250 million earmark to rebuild a Coast Guard station in Texas damaged by fire.
Still pending is a potentially game-changing ruling on the GOP’s use of “current policy” instead of “current law” as a budget baseline — a maneuver that could affect the bill’s legitimacy under reconciliation rules.
Republicans Scramble for Options
GOP leaders, led by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said they are reviewing options to revise the SNAP proposal or eliminate it altogether.
“We are committed to ensuring SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Boozman said.
But any change must still meet budgetary rules and pass muster with the parliamentarian — while keeping the Republican coalition together.
Work Requirements Still In Play
The parliamentarian did not strike down a controversial GOP plan to impose work requirements on SNAP and Medicaid recipients up to age 65, requiring them to work 80 hours per month or participate in job training or education programs.
Democrats argue such requirements would unfairly punish older adults and those in unstable employment, and could result in millions losing assistance.
What’s Next?
Republicans are facing a rapidly closing window to salvage the legislation before their self-imposed Independence Day deadline. With Democrats unified in opposition, any provisions ruled in violation of the Byrd Rule cannot be includedunless they secure 60 votes — an unlikely outcome in a closely divided Senate.
If key savings provisions cannot be restored or replaced, it may force Republicans to scale back tax cuts, seek alternative spending reductions, or reconsider the timeline for passing the package altogether.
The stakes are high for President Trump, who has made passage of the package a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. But with legal, fiscal, and procedural hurdles piling up, his allies are now racing to salvage a rapidly unraveling budget strategy.
