Sen. Tommy Tuberville is working with the state to “reduce the error rate” in the local SNAP program, a metric that could lead to the state picking up a massive bill for the project in the near future.
Tuberville’s office made the statement Tuesday after Alabama food banks urged him and Sen. Katie Britt to support a two-year buffer before the state must begin making cost-sharing payments for its SNAP program.
“Sen. Tuberville’s team is in talks with the state agency that manages the SNAP program to determine what efforts they can make to reduce the error rate,” said the would-be Alabama governor’s communications director, Mallory Jaspers.
On August 19, leaders and partners of Alabama food banks urged Tuberville and Britt to support a two-year waiver that would spare the state’s SNAP program from paying millions in cost-sharing payments until fiscal year 2029.
States are required to pay a share of SNAP benefit costs after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law in July 2025. The law requires states with SNAP payment error rates greater than 6% to pay a share of benefit costs, with the amount depending on how far a state’s error rate exceeds that threshold.
The waiver would give Alabama’s SNAP program time to lower its payment error rates, similar to relief granted to other states.
State payments are set to begin in October 2027, though states with error rates of 13.3% or higher received a two-year grace period, allowing them to avoid payments until fiscal year 2029.
Alabama had a payment error rate of 9.52% in the fiscal year 2025 and would be responsible for 10% of its SNAP costs, or approximately $174 million.
Errors rarely result from fraud, according to Michael Ledger, CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast.
“We are talking about penalties to states because of administrative errors. Administrative errors are not fraud. Fraud only runs 1% to 2% percent,” he said.
Ledger said Alabama’s Department of Human Resources is working to lower the state’s error rate, but it will take time for results to appear.
“They want to see these error rates drop as well. But again, it’s a process, one they’re working very hard on,” Ledger said,
Tuberville is part of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which currently oversees the 2026 Farm Bill, where any buffer period or waiver would need to be added.
Britt’s office told AL.com, “Senator Britt and her team are in constant communication with local leaders across the state to ensure that those eligible for SNAP benefits receive them without disruption and that the state’s payment error rate is properly addressed.
“Senator Britt does not sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee and therefore will have no opportunity to offer amendments to the farm bill until it advances to the Senate floor.”
Food assistance leaders said Alabama faces two possible outcomes if the waiver is not approved: the state will fund the cost-sharing payment, or it potentially could lose its SNAP program.
To pay the cost share, state lawmakers would need to identify $174 million in the fiscal year 2027 budget. If lawmakers cannot or will not allocate the funding, Alabama would have to reduce the number of SNAP participants or opt out of the program entirely.
In 2024, Alabama received $1.7 billion in nutrition assistance for approximately 678,000 residents.
According to Feeding America, about 919,000 Alabamians, or roughly 1 in 5 residents, experienced food insecurity in 2024. One in four Alabama children also experienced food insecurity.
Though food banks across Alabama have stepped up to serve and feed those in need, the state’s SNAP program provides the majority of food assistance.
“For every one meal our food bank provides, SNAP provides nine, as an example,” Ledger said.
Ellie Taylor, president and CEO of the Alabama Grocers Association, said that many grocery stores, particularly independent grocers, receive 20% to 40% of their retail sales through SNAP transactions, with some stores receiving as much as 60%.
The association identified 117 grocery stores that would be at risk of closure, with 61% located in low-income areas and 68% in rural communities.
“Once a grocery store closes in rural Alabama, it is extremely difficult to replace. We should not be creating new food deserts while trying to improve the administration of a nutrition program,” she said.
Ledger said food assistance leaders are not asking Congress to repeal the law, as many support efforts to reduce payment error rates. Instead, they are asking lawmakers to use the 2026 Farm Bill to give Alabama more time to bring its error rate under control.
“We’re grateful for the attention that Senators Britt and Tuberville have given this issue and we’re hopeful to see that attention turned into action soon,” he said.
“Hopefully in the next couple weeks we’re going to see this bill back up, being considered in the meetings passed.”
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