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More than 1 million children across 19 states have stopped receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits since Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in July 2025, according to a new analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
The findings come as SNAP enrollment has fallen sharply nationwide. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), participation dropped from about 42 million people in early 2025 to just over 37 million by April 2026: a decline of roughly 5 million recipients following major changes to the federal food assistance program under the Trump administration.
The CBPP’s analysis suggests children have accounted for a substantial share of that decline, with more than 1.06 million losing access to benefits across the 19 states examined.
SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, are paid monthly to low- and no-income households to help them purchase groceries. It is the nation’s largest food assistance program.
More Than 2.4 Million SNAP Recipients Lost Across 19 States
The analysis found total SNAP participation fell by almost 2.44 million people across the 19 states, representing a 12 percent decline since the legislation became law. Of those who lost benefits, more than 1.06 million were children, a 13 percent drop in child participation.
In other words, children accounted for 44 percent of all SNAP enrollment losses across the states included in the analysis.
Texas recorded the largest reduction in both overall participation and child enrollment. The state had 597,353 fewer SNAP recipients overall, including 317,316 fewer children. Children represented 53 percent of the state’s total participation decline.
Arizona experienced the steepest overall percentage drop. SNAP participation fell by 48 percent, while child enrollment declined by 49 percent, with 182,058 fewer children receiving benefits. Children made up 42 percent of the state’s overall decline.
California, which has one of the nation’s largest SNAP populations, saw 333,062 fewer participants overall. The state recorded a loss of 156,440 child recipients, meaning children accounted for 47 percent of its overall decline.
Louisiana experienced one of the largest proportional reductions, with overall participation falling 21 percent and child enrollment dropping 23 percent. The analysis found that children made up 48 percent of the state’s total decline.
While several states recorded especially steep reductions, declines were widespread across the country. Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania all posted overall enrollment declines ranging from 7 to 13 percent.
Among states where children represented the largest share of overall enrollment losses, New Jersey topped the list, with children accounting for 61 percent of the state’s decline. South Dakota followed at 57 percent, New Mexico at 56 percent and Texas at 53 percent.
Pennsylvania had one of the smallest shares of overall losses among children, at 28 percent, followed by Alabama and Maine, where children accounted for 29 percent of declining participation.
Why Has SNAP Enrollment Fallen?
The drop in participation follows a series of changes to SNAP introduced under the OBBBA, also known as H.R. 1, which has been implemented across different timelines in each state since it became law on July 4, 2025.
Among the biggest policy changes was the expansion of work requirements to adults up to age 64. Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) must now satisfy broader employment or training requirements to remain eligible for benefits.
The legislation also ended exemptions that had previously applied to some groups—including veterans, homeless individuals and former foster youth—bringing them into the work requirement system. Caregiver exemptions were also narrowed, meaning some parents with children aged 14 and older are now required to meet work or training requirements to continue receiving SNAP benefits.
A spokesperson for the USDA, which oversees and pays for the program, told Newsweek: “SNAP is a means-tested, appropriated entitlement. If a household is eligible, they receive the benefit.
“However, those same households are subject to recertification. Individuals might move to employment, become disinterested in participating, or experience another change in household circumstances. Therefore, the number of individuals receiving benefits is constantly changing and is not representative of any one policy; for example, multiple states have seen declines far before the enactment of H.R. 1.”
Participation Declines Could Continue
The CBPP argues that the participation losses are linked not only to changes affecting recipients but also to changes in how SNAP is financed.
“The sharp participation declines likely reflect, in part, the 2025 Republican reconciliation law’s shift of large SNAP benefit costs to states, with the amount states owe based on their payment error rate,” the organization said.
It added, “Without immediate congressional action to delay this cost shift for all states, the unfolding emergency will only worsen as more children are cut off from the food assistance their families need to afford nutritious food.”
The USDA said the OBBBA holds “states accountable to issuing accurate benefits to eligible households.”
“To date, states are issuing more than $27 million per day in erroneous food stamp benefits—this is program waste and a slap in the face to the taxpayer,” the department continued. “Congress rightfully attached accountability to this egregious behavior.”
The CBPP has also said broader economic conditions do not explain the sharp decline in participation.
“While it’s uncertain which factors are the primary drivers of the participation decline in these states, those declines cannot be explained by an improvement in people’s economic well-being,” the organization said.
CBPP pointed to several indicators, noting that nationally “unemployment has remained steady, real wages declined year-over-year in April, food insecurity remained high in 2025, and grocery costs are rising.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly, Grayson Thomas and Shakeema Edwards.
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