The largest food assistance program in the U.S.is undergoing a massive overhaul.
But even before the most drastic changes take effect, more than 4 million people are estimated to have already lost the critical food aid between last July and April — many of whom are children.The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps, has seen a rapid and consistent decline in participation since last July, the same month that a sweeping Republican tax and spending package became law.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included major changes to the food assistance program.
At the time, the White House called SNAP "bloated" and said it was failing its mission to serve as "temporary help for those who encounter tough times."Starsky Wilson, the president of Children's Defense Fund, a child advocacy group, says he has been alarmed by the speed of the tax law's impact."We're upset about how quickly this has happened," he says."There are some supports that are still staged to go away later this year.
So there could be an even greater sense of desperation among children and their families as we come to the end of this year."The food assistance program has already begun tightening eligibility.But the biggest shift, the restructuring of SNAP's funding model, starts in October.
Each state will soon have to pay millions in additional costs to keep the program going.Food policy experts warn that these new costs could drive states to scale back or withdraw from SNAP.
If that happens, neither food banks nor existing government programs would have the capacity to fill the gap, according to Wilson from Children's Defense Fund. " There's no replacement for SNAP if a state gets rid of it," he says.Here's how the program works, where things stand and what's changed.Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, more adults need to prove they work or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month to access food benefits.These work requirements now apply to veterans, homeless ...