The day before President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” was passed by the House (215-214), at the House Rules Committee hearing on Wednesday morning, U.S. Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH) proposed an amendment to strike a provision in the bill that lowers the age of a dependent child from 18 to 7 for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
BREAKING: In a shocking moment, Rep. Shontel Brown exposes the cruel MAGA plan "that lowers the age of what we call a dependent child from 18 to 7." Brown's amendment strikes that ludicrous provision from Trump's bill.
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) May 21, 2025
Have Republicans lost their minds? pic.twitter.com/1aPpMcFNSC
Currently, SNAP allows the parents and caregivers of children under 18 “a little flexibility,” says Brown.
If they can’t meet the required 80 hour a month work requirement, they don’t lose access to food. According to Brown, “This bill changes that.”
Brown said the “big bad ugly bill…pulls away basic benefits from the moment a child turns seven.” She repeated, “Seven,” and added: “That is a cold, calculated cut that targets struggling families…it is cruel.”
Note: According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), there are approximately 3 million adults who receive SNAP benefits and live with dependents who would be impacted by the change, as well as 4 million children aged between 7 and 17.
Tonight, I spoke out in the Rules Committee against the cold, calculated cuts in Trump’s Big Bad Ugly Bill and filed an amendment to undo their SNAP cuts targeting families.
— Rep. Shontel Brown (@RepShontelBrown) May 22, 2025
This bill ignores the real lives of working class families and makes their lives harder, not easier. pic.twitter.com/4tDfbcuNpz
Brown added: “This bill doesn’t serve working families, it punishes them…it doesn’t encourage stability or self-sufficiency, it punishes poverty. And it sends a dangerous message, if you are struggling, you are on your own.”
As one of her constituents replied: “Have Republicans lost their minds?
Note: In the bill, there is an exception to the work requirements for a person responsible for a child 7 years or older who is married and resides with an individual who complies with the SNAP work requirements.
