Millions of Americans are being kicked off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, amid massive ongoing changes to eligibility and work requirements.
SNAP provides monthly funds to low-income individuals and families to help pay for groceries. 79% of households receiving SNAP include a child, senior, or person with a disability.
President Trump made the largest-ever cuts to SNAP in his July 2025 tax bill, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The H.R. 1 bill funds tax breaks for wealthy families and corporations by slashing $187 billion (17%) from SNAP over the next decade.
States are now required to take on enormous program costs. Some may have to reduce staffing, raise taxes, cut benefits, or discontinue the program entirely.
How many people have been kicked off SNAP so far?
SNAP enrollment has declined by over 4.9 million people (12%) nationwide since Trump’s bill took effect, including at least 808,000 children across 13 states with publicly available data.
Roughly 2.4 million people are expected to lose their benefits in an average month between 2025 and 2034. Around 96,000 children a month will receive decreased subsidies through the child nutrition program.
Enrollment has dropped by over 50% in Arizona, which has been quicker to implement the changes than other states. A record number of people are now turning to food banks, surpassing the number of Arizonans receiving SNAP benefits.
Other states, including California, implemented Trump’s work requirements for new SNAP applicants starting June 1, 2026. Existing CalFresh recipients (California’s SNAP program) who applied before June 1 will not have to meet the work requirements until their next recertification.
What are some of the new rules?
Most able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 will have to prove they worked, attended school, volunteered, or participated in an approved training program for at least 80 hours a month to receive SNAP benefits for more than 3 months over a 3-year period.
Caregivers are now only exempt if they have a child under age 14. There are no longer exceptions for veterans, people who are homeless, or people who have recently aged out of foster care.
Trump’s bill also revoked SNAP eligibility for many lawful immigrant groups, including refugees, asylees, trafficking victims, and individuals granted withholding of removal/deportation.
Why are people losing their benefits?
The Trump administration has justified cutting SNAP by claiming the program is full of “fraud, waste, and abuse.” But SNAP fraud is “rare”, according to data cited by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), and payment errors are largely unintentional.
Most people lose their benefits due to bureaucratic obstacles like changing deadlines, increased paperwork, and difficulties documenting work hours. Eligible people are facing massive delays and “falling through the cracks” as understaffed state agencies struggle to keep up.
SNAP recipients often work jobs with low pay, unstable hours, no sick leave, and no paid family leave—including cashiers, cooks, home health aides, sales and service roles. These jobs are less likely to have human resource departments that can provide workers with necessary paperwork.