The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released an analysis showing that more than 4 million Americans lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits between July 2025 and March 2026 following congressional approval of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The report found that more than 1 million of those affected were children across 19 states studied, representing a significant reduction in participation in the nation’s largest federal food assistance program.
Arizona experienced the most substantial enrollment decline following the legislation’s implementation, with state data through May indicating that more than 450,000 residents lost benefits, effectively halving overall program participation in the state. The law tightened eligibility requirements and increased state-level screening procedures for the program. Other states showed notable losses as well, with Louisiana reporting that nearly one in four children enrolled in Snap lost assistance, while Massachusetts and Texas each saw approximately one-fifth of participating children removed from the program.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities attributed the steep decline primarily to provisions in the reconciliation law that shifted a substantial portion of Snap benefit costs to states based on their payment error rates. The organization warned that without congressional intervention to delay this cost-shifting mechanism, participation would continue to fall. Representative Ilhan Omar, a progressive Democrat from Minnesota, introduced an amendment aimed at reversing the cuts, though the Republican-controlled House rejected the proposal.
The US Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization representing cities with populations of at least 30,000, responded by sending a letter signed by more than 200 mayors to the Senate calling for lawmakers to reverse the Snap reductions. The mayors characterized the situation as part of a “deepening food security crisis” and noted that Snap reduces poverty, supports local economies, and provides economic stabilization during downturns.
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