Why has the number of people receiving SNAP been plummeting? @tyjonescox.bsky.social explains:
"This can't be explained by a sweeping rise in incomes or improving economic conditions. We need to call this steep decline what it actually is: not evidence of progress, but deep, harmful cuts."
A Cardigan Welsh Corgi amidst the tulips.
It is Friday. 🌷
These new data show that 196,000 fewer kids in Arizona received SNAP in March compared to last July, when H.R. 1 became law. That's a 52% drop in 8 months.
The Arizona Cardinals' stadium has 63,400 seats. The kids who have lost SNAP in just one state would fill it 3 times over.
Key point - "Congress must work to eventually repeal the untenable cost shift altogether. Payment accuracy is an important measure of SNAP’s performance, but a program isn’t successful if it’s highly accurate while failing to reach those who need it."
And Arizona just posted new data for March: since H.R. 1 passed in July, more than half of the Arizonans receiving SNAP have lost food assistance.
Not because the economy improved. Not because they didn't qualify. Because of how the state is responding to these federal cuts.
H.R. 1’s unprecedented cost shift to states is already driving far deeper SNAP cuts than anticipated as states scramble to reduce costs. Congress must delay this unfunded mandate for all states before even more struggling families lose food assistance.
Actually, he may not know the answer since USDA eliminated the Food Insecurity Survey in September 2025. www.usda.gov/about-usda/n...
Reminder: This farm bill does nothing to address the unfolding hunger crisis as H.R. 1's devastating SNAP cuts — the deepest in history — take effect.
See how many people have already lost food assistance in your state: www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
The President's 2027 budget would slash WIC's fruit & vegetable benefit, leaving about 5.4 million pregnant women, new moms, toddlers & preschoolers in low-income families with only $10-13 per month for fruits & vegetables.
See the impact in your state:
Retailers are relying on Google for answers & erring on the side of marking items as ineligible. Shoppers are only learning what can & can't be purchased when they get to the register.
As predicted, SNAP restrictions are proving costly, burdensome, confusing & stigmatizing.
The best evidence shows that SNAP's harsh work requirement doesn't increase employment or earnings. It just cuts people off SNAP.
Yet Republicans dramatically expanded this ineffective policy in H.R. 1, putting millions more people at risk of losing SNAP.
We warned that H.R. 1's SNAP cost shift could drive states to make it as difficult as possible to access SNAP, leaving eligible low-income families without the food assistance they need. In Arizona, that prediction appears to be coming true — with a heartbreaking human cost:
H.R. 1 slashes federal SNAP funding & shifts huge costs to states. We warned this could spur extreme measures to cut costs that would put eligible low-income people at risk of losing food assistance.
7 months after enactment, only half as many kids in Arizona are receiving SNAP.
When we talk about "SNAP cuts," we mean real people — parents stretching every dollar at the grocery store, kids depending on stable meals. Our new tracker puts numbers behind who's being harmed, state by state. Check it. Bookmark it. Share it!
Millions of low-income people have already lost the food assistance they need to afford groceries & more will be cut off SNAP as the full brunt of these cuts take effect. Congress must delay H.R. 1’s unprecedented SNAP cost shifts for all states.
While not as staggering as the decline in Arizona, more recent state data show the number of low-income people receiving SNAP benefits in other states like Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia has also dropped by more than 10% since H.R. 1 was enacted in July.
In response to federal cuts, Arizona slashed staff while ramping up paperwork requirements. Now, many people are stuck in processing backlogs & are being denied SNAP for procedural reasons. States can make better choices, but Congress must act before other states follow suit.
Graphic text: Did you know? 424,000 fewer people in Arizona received food assistance benefits following the enactment of the harmful Republican megabill, which enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history. That's a 47% drop in SNAP participants.
In Arizona, far more people have already lost SNAP than anticipated – likely because H.R. 1 slashes federal SNAP funding & requires most states to pay for a share of SNAP benefits for the first time, creating an incentive for them to take drastic steps to cut costs.
Graph of SNAP participation in Arizona, which shows a 47 percent drop in the number of people receiving SNAP between July 2025 and February 2026.
While USDA has released data only through December, some states have published more recent data showing far larger declines. The most alarming is Arizona: by February, only about half as many people – and half as many kids – were receiving SNAP benefits. www.cbpp.org/blog/arizona...
Graphic text: Did you know? The Republican megabill enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history in July 2025. By December, 2.5 million fewer people were receiving SNAP benefits.
By December, the number of people receiving SNAP had dropped in all 50 states while economic conditions largely remained unchanged – a troubling sign that people are being cut off SNAP by H.R. 1’s eligibility restrictions & red tape, not because they no longer need help.
Map showing the percentage change in the number of SNAP participants between July 2025 and December 2025 in each state.
Last July, the Republican megabill (H.R. 1) enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history. Today, we're releasing a tracker of how many people in each state are losing the SNAP benefits they need to afford groceries. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
The Trump Administration: "Eat real food."
Also the Trump Administration: "$10-$13 a month for fruits and vegetables should do it."
This is not a budget that would "make America healthy." It would mean more low-income families with young kids struggle to afford enough healthy fruits & vegetables. It would force more low-income seniors to choose between putting food on the table & paying for their medication.
Graphic text: Did you know? The Republican megabill enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history in July 2025. By December, 2.5 million fewer people were receiving SNAP benefits.
Low-income older adults are already losing food assistance thanks to the Republican megabill’s unprecedented SNAP cuts. For example, many people in their early sixties are now limited to only 3 months of SNAP benefits unless they can prove they’re working 20 hours per week.
The budget also eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food boxes to more than 700,000 low-income seniors each month. The Administration says this is because they're “focused on supporting seniors through the SNAP Program.” But they just cut SNAP, too!
WIC is one of our most effective tools to help families thrive & kids get a healthy start in life. Instead of cutting science-based food benefits, policymakers should maintain the longstanding bipartisan commitment to fully funding this vital program. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
The President's budget would cut WIC’s science-based fruit & vegetable benefit by 62-75%, depending on the participant category. That would leave about 5.4 million low-income parents, toddlers & preschoolers with only $10-$13 each month to buy healthy fruits & vegetables.
After enacting the deepest SNAP cuts in history last year, President Trump’s 2027 budget would continue to make groceries less affordable for low-income families. It would slash the WIC fruit & vegetable benefit by $1.4 billion & eliminate a food program for low-income seniors.
I’m not sure who is responsible for The Onion’s recent interest in SNAP policy, but please know that I appreciate you.
