The USDA is proposing a new rule that would affect the way Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are calculated. If enacted, nearly one in three Michigan SNAP households could lose SNAP benefits.

The rule, SNAP: Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances has been issued by the Food and Nutrition Service as a way to address benefit inequities between states and improve program integrity.

Under current law, SNAP takes into account the utility expenses of each SNAP household. States adjust household benefits based on a state-specific Standard