ATLANTA, Ga. – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and his department have proposed several changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would change the way states determine household eligibility, according to WSB-TV.

The Urban Institute, says that more than 500,000 households with children would lose eligibility under these proposed changes and over 1 million would receive smaller benefits.

The average SNAP recipient receives $121 monthly, Purdue says that his proposals would ultimately save money and preserve the integrity of the program that should be a “temporary safety net.”