The Trump administration's overhaul of the nation's largest food assistance program will cause millions of people to lose benefits, strain government budgets and put pressure on the nation's food supply chain, all of which will likely hamper the goals of the administration's “Make America Healthy Again” platform, according to researchers and former federal officials.
Permanent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will come regardless of the outcome of at least two federal lawsuits aimed at stopping the government from cutting November SNAP benefits. The lawsuits challenge the Trump administration's refusal to provide emergency funds to keep the program running during the government shutdown.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the government to use those funds to continue SNAP. A Massachusetts judge also said in a separate lawsuit that the government should use its food assistance reserve funds to pay for SNAP, but gave the Trump administration until Nov. 3 to come up with a plan.
Amid this uncertainty, food banks across the U.S. are bracing for a surge in demand, given the likelihood that millions of people will be cut off from the food program that helps them buy food.
On October 28, a truck loaded with spaghetti, tuna and other items arrived at the Gateway Food Pantry in Arnold, Missouri. This may be the last Gateway shipment for a while. The food pantry south of St. Louis primarily serves families with school-aged children, but it has already exhausted its annual food budget due to a surge in demand, said executive director Patrick McKelvey.
New Disabled South, a Georgia-based nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities, announced it is offering one-time payments of $100 to $250 to individuals and families expected to lose SNAP benefits in the 14 states it serves.
In less than 48 hours, the nonprofit received more than 16,000 requests totaling $3.6 million, mostly from families, far more than the organization had funding.
“It’s unreal,” said co-founder Dom Kelly.
The threat of defunding SNAP is a preview of what will happen when changes to the program included in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in July take effect.
The domestic tax and spending bill would cut SNAP by $187 billion over the next decade. That's nearly 20% less than current funding levels, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The new rules shift many food and administrative costs to states, which could cause some to consider leaving a program that helped about 42 million people buy groceries last year. In addition to the new law, the administration is also calling on states to limit SNAP purchases by banning items such as candy and soda.
All of this “puts us in uncharted territory for SNAP,” said Cindy Long, a former deputy undersecretary of agriculture who now works as national counsel for the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
The country's first food stamps were issued at the end of the Great Depression, when the poor could not afford farm produce. Today, recipients use debit cards instead of stamps. But the program still supports farmers and food retailers and prevents hunger during economic downturns.
According to CBO estimates, about 3 million people will lose food aid as a result several provisions in the budget law, including applying work requirements to more people and shifting more costs to states. Trump administration leaders supported the changes as a way to curb waste. get more people to workand so that improve health.
This is the largest cut to the SNAP program in its history and comes amid rising food prices and a fragile labor market.
The exact impact of the cuts will be difficult to measure as the Trump administration finished the annual report which measures food insecurity.
Here are five big changes coming to SNAP and what they mean for Americans' health:
1. Want food benefits? They will be more difficult to obtain.
Under the new law, people will have to submit more paperwork to access SNAP benefits.
Many recipients are already required to work, volunteer or participate in other eligible activities for 80 hours per month to receive the money on their benefit cards. New law expands these requirements to previously released groups, including homeless people, veterans and youth who have been in foster care since they turned 18. The expanded work requirements also apply to parents with children 14 years of age or older and adults ages 55 to 64.
From November 1If recipients cannot document that they qualify each month, they will be limited to three months of SNAP benefits. three year period.
“These are draconian measures,” said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group. About one in eight adults reported losing SNAP benefits due to paperwork problems, the data showed. December Urban Institute study.
Definite refugeesUnder the new law, asylum seekers and other legal immigrants are completely excluded from the SNAP program.
2. Governments will have to invest more money and resources.
The federal law dramatically increases the amount each state will have to pay to maintain the program.
Until now, states had to pay only half of the administrative costs and no food costs, with the federal government covering the rest.
Under the new law, states bear 75% of administrative costs and must cover a portion of food costs. This is estimated to mean the median cost increase for states will be more than 200%. report Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality.
A KFF Health News analysis shows that one funding change related to food costs could put states on the hook for an additional $11 billion.
All states participate in the SNAP program, but they can opt out. Almost June two dozen Democratic governors wrote to congressional leaders warning that some states would not be able to find the money to continue the program.
“If states are forced to end their SNAP programs, hunger and poverty will increase, children and adults will get sick, rural grocery stores will struggle to stay open, people in the agriculture and food industries will lose their jobs, and state and local economies will suffer,” the governors wrote.
3. Will the changes lead to healthier eating?
The Trump administration has made healthy eating a priority through its Make America Healthy Again platform.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended restrictions on the purchase of soda and candy under the food assistance program. To date, 12 states have received approval limit what people can buy with SNAP dollars.
Those restrictions were previously blocked because they were difficult for states and stores to implement and because they increased stigma against SNAP, federal officials said. 2007 USDA report. In 2018, the first Trump administration rejected Maine's attempt ban sugary drinks and candy.
A store might decide that participating in the program isn't worth the hassle and drop out, leaving SNAP recipients with fewer places to shop.
People receiving SNAP are no more likely to purchase sweets or salty snacks than people who shop without benefits. according to the US Department of Agriculture. Research shows that encouraging healthy food choices more efficient than procurement regulation.
When people have less money to spend on food, they often resort to cheaper and unhealthy alternatives which allow them to stay full longer, instead of paying for more expensive food that is healthy and fresh, but quickly spoils.
4. How will cuts to SNAP benefits affect health?
Rights groups working to end hunger in the country say the cuts will have long-term health consequences.
Research has shown that children in families with limited access to food more likely have a mental disorder. Similarly, food insecurity is associated with lower math and reading skills.
Working age people experiencing food insecurity more likely experience a chronic illness. What long list includes high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
These health problems come with costs for individuals. Low-income adults not participating in SNAP spend an average of $1,400 more than a year in healthcare than those who are.
About 47 million people lived in households with limited or uncertain access to food in 2023.
5. What does this mean for the nation's food supply chain?
SNAP spending directly stimulates grocery stores, their suppliers, and the transportation and agricultural industries. Additionally, when low-income households gain access to food, they are more likely to spend the money on other needs, such as prescriptions or car repairs. All this means that every dollar spent on SNAP generates at least $1.50 in economic activity. according to the US Department of Agriculture.
A report from associations representing convenience stores, grocers and the food industry estimates that could cost grocers $1.6 billion to comply with new SNAP restrictions.
Advocates warn that stores could pass on the costs to customers or close.
