One Year Later: Policy Decisions Drive Dramatic Decline in SNAP Participation

The budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) slashed SNAP, our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, by $187 billion and introduced harmful provisions. One year later, nearly 5 million people, including households with children, people with disabilities, older adults, and veterans, have lost access to the nutrition they need at a time when gas and grocery costs are skyrocketing. 

FRAC is tracking the impact nationwide: 

Explore the full data

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Tell Your Senators: Support Families and Farmers, Restore Critical SNAP Funding

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Banner image showing children eating outside at a table in a school setting that reads: "Donate to FRAC"
Polaroid-style image that reads: "This money is supposed to supplement my food budget, but it is really all of my food budget because my income barely covers my rent. Because of SNAP, we are not starving."

FRAC Chat

Jul 31, 2026
Gina Plata-Nino, JD, SNAP Director and Dory Thrasher, PhD, Senior SNAP Policy Analyst

State governments entered their 2027 fiscal years facing an increasingly difficult fiscal landscape. Legislatures across the country sought to address rising costs of housing, food, child care, utilities, and health care while managing slowing revenue growth, structural budget gaps, and declining fiscal flexibility. Although many states entered the budget cycle with stronger reserve balances than before the pandemic, those reserves are shrinking, ending balances have declined for three consecutive years, and policymakers are increasingly relying on one-time solutions to balance budgets rather than sustainable revenue growth.

Jul 24, 2026
Clarissa Hayes, Deputy Director, Child Nutrition Programs & Policy and Gina Plata-Nino, JD, SNAP Director

This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new public charge rule that is likely to increase fear and uncertainty among immigrant and mixed-status families, including families already struggling to afford food.

Recent Publications & Data

See More Resources
  • Fact Sheet

    The budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) significantly expands SNAP time limits. As a result, millions of adults — including caregivers, veterans, older workers, and people experiencing homelessness — face the loss of food assistance. Learn how to reduce the harm in FRAC’s fact sheet. 

    Read the fact sheet
  • Fact Sheet

    The budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1), enacted in July 2025, made devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. Already, nearly 5 million people, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans, have lost access to food benefits as a result of the law. The House and Senate
    Farm Bill proposals do not address or reverse these cuts.

    Read FRAC’s breakdown of how the Senate proposal misses the mark on H.R. 1.

    Read the fact sheet
  • Report

    People subject to SNAP time limits can meet these work requirements through volunteering or unpaid work. But access to that option varies widely depending on how states promote, administer, and support it.

    FRAC’s review of all 50 states and the District of Columbia examines how states communicate and support the volunteer option, highlights leading practices, and identifies the obstacles that can prevent participants from using volunteering to maintain SNAP eligibility.

    Read the landscape analysis
  • Fact Sheet

    Federal regulations allow people subject to SNAP time limits to meet their requirements by “working for food” and volunteering at a state-approved nonprofit or public agency. But volunteering is not as simple or beneficial as it may sound. Learn why in FRAC’s fact sheet. 

    Read the fact sheet