MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. -- In our nation's capital, the future of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" faces a complicated path forward.
The bill passed the House last week, with Speaker Mike Johnson promising the full package on President Trump's desk by July 4.
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However, it is expected to encounter significant changes in the Senate, and one of the most controversial pieces of that plan is already sparking backlash.
The proposal comes with a steep cost: slashing food aid for millions of Americans.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- formerly known as food stamps -- helps more than 40 million people feed their families. Under this proposal, those benefits could be cut by nearly a third.
"Probably many people will fall through the cracks," said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow in the Tax and Income Supports Division at the Urban Institute. "It becomes a matter of narrowing eligibility, taking away options that were previously expanding SNAP and or possibly reducing the amount of benefits."
Waxman has been tracking the impacts of the federal plan to cut SNAP by $300 billion by 2036, a move she says could strip food aid from millions, including 1.2 million veterans.
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According to the Treasure Coast Food Bank, that will affect nearly 20,000 children and 1,000 veterans in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
"We are facing significant challenges at Treasure Coast Food Bank due to recent federal budget cuts, resulting in a reduced budget and fewer resources to nourish our community," Judith Cruz, president and CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank, said in a comment to WPTV.
"That's also very concerning for a place like Florida where SNAP benefits already don't help people who meet those grocery price pressures," added Waxman, who isn't just worried about the slash in budget.
Waxman said the proposal would also make it harder for millions of families to qualify for SNAP benefits by expanding the work requirements.
Right now, adults ages 18 to 54 must work at least 80 hours a month to receive benefits, unless they have young children. Under the new plan, those work requirements would extend to parents with kids over seven -- and to older adults up to age 64.
"It's going to have a huge impact," said Mike Readling, executive director of Martin County's Habitat for Humanity.
Readling said already the need on the Treasure Coast is outpacing available resources, and it's families with children and seniors hurting the most.
"We're in a climate now that affects everybody. I have employees that work for me that are food insecure," said Readling.
That need stretches south, too, where Palm Beach County Food Bank CEO Jamie Kendall told WPTV at least 400 families per month rely on SNAP benefits through their organization.
"It would be catastrophic for many of our families," said Kendall. "The senior population is really hurting. The inflationary issues are hurting everybody. The trickle-down effect is going to be massive."
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Two of those impacted are Nika Roberts and Destiney Johnson. They're currently staying at a motel in Riviera Beach while they try to get back on their feet. SNAP benefits have been their only lifeline in feeding their young children.
"I only had $23 in food stamps and I had to make that stretch. It wasn't enough whatsoever," said Roberts.
"Everybody's got the same story," said Johnson. "There's no help."
It's help they can't afford to lose. Help that's hard to find.
"I've waited, I've gone everywhere to ask for help," said Johnson, tears streaming down her face. "It's very hard to figure out how I'm going to feed my son and my daughter every night."
"You just... you hope that somebody somewhere in a position of power will understand what happens and take that into consideration," added Readling.
If federal funding is slashed, the other big impact is the strain it places on state funding.
In addition to the proposal seeking to make states pay a larger portion of the program's administrative costs, Waxman said states, like Florida, would have to make up part of the deficit the federal funding cuts leave behind.
"And that's not something that's normally accounted for in state budgets. And depending on the state, it's going to be anywhere between five and 25% of the benefit costs, which could be really huge. States can't deficit spend the way the federal government does," said Waxman.
WPTV reached out to lawmakers about what that means locally, and are waiting to hear back.