FRAC Chat

The first year of Summer EBT implementation, 2024, saw two Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) join 37 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories in participating in the program. Together, these two Tribes — Chickasaw Nation and Cherokee Nation — issued benefits to a large number of children who resided in their respective Tribal service area and who otherwise would not have received benefits, as Oklahoma had opted out of the program.  

Sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under the recently passed budget reconciliation package (H.R. 1 also known as OBBBA) —passed by a majority of Republicans in Congress and signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025 — will force states to make tough choices, even before many provisions officially take effect. One early example: Texas has opted out of the Summer EBT Program, which provides nutrition support to school-age children during the summer, citing concerns over future state obligations to fund SNAP as a key reason.

The national anti-hunger community lost a champion this week. Diane Doherty, executive director of Illinois Hunger Coalition (IHC) since 1996, passed away on July 14, 2025. During her time in FRAC’s network, she worked tirelessly with many FRAC staff and partners to fight poverty-related hunger in Illinois and across the U.S.

The far-reaching consequences of President Trump’s newly enacted Budget Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1) —passed by Republicans in Congress and signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025 — will be felt in every corner of the country. Although the fallout will be local, the design is federal. This is not accidental; it is a deliberate strategy to make essential programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) more expensive and politically unsustainable at the state level. By forcing states to shoulder greater expenses and administer these cuts, Republican federal lawmakers deflect responsibility for weakening the nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. Despite strong opposition from Senate and House Democrats — joined by governors, advocates, and constituents — Republicans advanced a bill that prioritizes tax breaks for the wealthy while gutting support for families with low incomes and placing new costs on states.

Despite strong opposition from Senate and House Democrats — joined by governors, advocates, and constituents across the country — Republican-led changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) moved forward. These provisions, embedded in the reconciliation process that approved President Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ broader fiscal agenda in H.R. 1, prioritize tax breaks for the wealthy while shifting greater burdens onto states and working families.