Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill Has Already Left Millions Without SNAP Benefits

More than 4 million Americans are no longer receiving food benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program since the implementation of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July 2025, according to a review of federal and state data by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The bill’s passage introduced the most sweeping changes to the food-assistance program, formerly known as food stamps, in decades. Those changes include stricter work requirements and restricted eligibility for certain noncitizens with lawful immigration status; it also shifted a portion of administrative costs to the states. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last year the bill would reduce federal SNAP spending by $187 billion through 2034.

In the 13 states where data was available, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that the number of children receiving benefits dropped by 808,000 since July.

Overall enrollment dropped in every state, though Arizona saw the steepest decline in SNAP enrollment: a drop of 53% through March 2026, followed by 17% in Florida, 16% in Louisiana and 16% in Oklahoma, according to the think tank.

SNAP participation in the country has dropped 10% nationally from July 2025 to March 2026.

The think tank warned it expected the downward trend to continue as states brace to shoulder 75% of the food aid program’s administrative costs in 2027 — up from 50% in previous years — and additional spending from a new state matching requirement.

The Congressional Budget Office noted in its analysis last August that it expected the provisions to be met with an assortment of responses from the states, including maintaining current benefits, modifying eligibility or leaving SNAP altogether.

The CBO said it expected states to eliminate benefits for 300,000 people between 2028 and 2034.

The Trump administration has also sought to redefine SNAP in alignment with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to make “Make America Healthy Again” by endorsing state limitations against using benefits to purchase soda and candy. But a federal judge ruled on Monday that the Agriculture Department, which administers SNAP, did not have the authority to approve pilot programs banning such purchases in Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia, Colorado and Tennessee.

“Congress defined what ‘food’ is supposed to be, and it did not authorize the agency to amend or waive the definition it enacted,” Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote. “It did not authorize the agency to cut types of food out of SNAP entirely.”