Families that are in poverty and struggling to make ends meet might be cut off from social welfare benefits if Congress moves forward with a funding proposal now under consideration.

Virginia could be facing a shortfall of more than $350 million – that’s if Congress moves forward with a budget proposal to change the funding formula for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. One of the new features is a work requirement that Lily Roberts at the Center for American Progress says is a misnomer.

“About 80% of people who are on SNAP are already working. So, this requirement is really just a requirement that you fill out some extra paperwork," Roberts says. "We’ve found through decades of research that policies like that don’t actually increase the likelihood that somebody is working. They just kick people off the program, and they make the state spend a lot of money administering a program like that.”

Currently, the federal government covers the benefits and shares the administrative costs with states. But the proposal now on Capitol Hill would shift the cost to the states. Cassie Edner at the Virginia Poverty Law Center says families would face more red tape and fewer benefits.

“School funding is based off of how many kids are on SNAP benefits," Edner says. "This is going to affect children being able to get summer EBT benefits; that’s the food benefit low-income kids get during the summer. You’re going to have pregnant women, if they’re cut from SNAP, they’re not going to be able to get WIC.”

Southside Virginia would see the biggest hit. Places like Petersburg and Emporia have the highest percentage of residents currently accepting benefits.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio , was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association .