SNAP changes leave 776,000 fewer children fed

House Republicans said the SNAP changes in President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill wouldn’t affect vulnerable people, including children. But analyses found a sharp drop: at least 776,000 fewer children were receiving SNAP benefits in 12 states

For a lot of families, the shift in SNAP isn’t a policy debate on television. It’s a line that starts early, a phone call that goes nowhere, and the quiet math of what gets cut when benefits stop.

In Phoenix, Ana Alvarez waited in a line of vehicles at St. Mary’s Food Bank after losing her SNAP benefits in September. A single mother of five who works at a restaurant. Alvarez said she clipped coupons and cut back on trips to the zoo and restaurants with her children. The restaurant’s slow season is about to hit. and as summer temperatures rise. she worries how she will afford her electric bill. her rent. and her car payment.

Alvarez reapplied for SNAP with the Arizona Department of Economic Security in December, but her application is still pending. The state agency did not respond to questions about its backlog. At least once a week. Alvarez contacts the agency about the application. and the last time she called. a worker told her she would have to keep waiting.

The bill’s backers argued the SNAP overhaul in President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy measure would not touch children. As a House committee debated the law last year, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson. a Pennsylvania Republican and chair of the House Agriculture Committee. said the changes would “restore integrity” to the program and ensure it works for the “most vulnerable among us. including children.” Rep. John Rose. a Republican from Tennessee. called passage a “historic accomplishment” that would ensure “those in need can continue to receive the assistance they need.” And Rep. Dusty Johnson. a South Dakota Republican. said the bill would focus resources on the “neediest” Americans. adding: “If you are a pregnant woman. your benefits are unaffected. If you have young children at home, your benefits are unaffected by this bill. If you are disabled, your benefits are unaffected by this bill.”.

But nearly a year after the measure was signed into law. the number of children receiving food assistance has fallen sharply. A ProPublica analysis found that in 12 states that break down SNAP participation by age. the number of people no longer receiving benefits in those states was 1. 670. 011. Of that total, 776,134 — or 46% — were children.

A second review reached the same broad conclusion. Just last month, the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found there were 700,000 fewer children receiving food assistance.

Arizona has recorded the largest percentage decline among child participants. Since July 2025, 205,223 children there have stopped receiving the benefit — a 55% drop. Louisiana had the second largest percentage decline among children, with 22%.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, hasn’t detailed the impact on children aided by the program. But initial figures show that compared to February 2025, 4.3 million fewer people received SNAP nationwide in February 2026, leaving 37.8 million participants.

Katie Bergh. a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. said while children weren’t the intended targets. they’re increasingly “collateral damage.” If states are trying to comply with the law’s changes to SNAP. Bergh said they’re likely not focusing on making the program accessible. She also pointed to the possibility that people could be pushed off the program because of increased paperwork requirements to remain eligible.

Those changes are now scheduled in pieces. States are required to impose work requirements for most adult recipients, while preparing for two major cost shifts.

In October, states will begin covering 75% of the program’s administrative costs, up from the 50% states have been paying.

Starting in October 2027, states will have to pay a larger share of SNAP benefits based on their error rate. Error rates reflect overpayments or underpayments of SNAP benefits. While sometimes characterized as fraud. USDA describes the errors as “largely unintentional. ” noting that they are usually the fault of the state agency or the SNAP recipient.

For families, the practical problem is that access depends on agencies being able to keep up. Bergh said if a state agency is facing staffing shortages and struggling to comply with new regulations. it will be harder for low-income families to access the benefits. “Families are falling through the cracks.”.

In Massachusetts, the stress of that work has shown up in the call lines. The share of SNAP applicants who called an assistance line and couldn’t reach a worker rose from 61% in November to nearly 81% in March. according to the Department of Transitional Assistance. which administers SNAP in the state. The state agency did not respond to a request for comment.

When asked about the child losses, a USDA spokesperson did not address ProPublica’s questions about how many children have lost access to SNAP. The spokesperson said, “There is no shortage of resources for the most vulnerable among us, including children.”

The dispute has also landed back on the people who defended the law.

The three House Agriculture Committee members who defended last year’s bill before its passage — Rose, Thompson, and Johnson — did not respond to ProPublica’s questions about their statements now that many children no longer receive SNAP benefits.

Rep. Jim McGovern. a Massachusetts Democrat. pressed Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins about her recent comments that it was “good news” that millions of people no longer receive SNAP. McGovern said if more than 700. 000 children were dropped in the 12 states that report those figures. “that number’s going to be into the millions” when other states are included.

Rollins responded that “The 700. 000 number of children is not correct. ” and she contended that most people who were kicked off SNAP were “fraudulent.” She added: “That is not a nonpartisan group that gave you that number.” ProPublica independently verified the figures reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

McGovern said he has talked to people who have lost food assistance. “These are people who actually need and rely on this food assistance to provide basic nutrition for their families,” he said.

The concern is that pressure to reduce errors may end up pushing families off the program even when they’re working. Parke Wilde. a food economist at Tufts University. said pressure to lower error rates creates a temptation for the states to “bump off working families.” Working families may have more volatile incomes. he said. making it harder for state agencies to assess benefits accurately.

When lawmakers say they want to preserve SNAP for the greatest need, Wilde said, “they’re sort of acknowledging that they want the scale of the SNAP program to be smaller.”

The stakes go beyond hunger in a single season. Mariana Chilton. an expert in child hunger at the University of Massachusetts. Amherst. said a smaller SNAP program won’t save money in the long run. She pointed to research that children who receive SNAP benefits are healthier. have better academic outcomes. use hospitals less often. and have better mental health as teenagers.

Chilton called the situation a “public health crisis” in the making. “When children are not healthy, this affects children today and it affects them throughout their lifetimes,” she said, likening hunger during early childhood to a brain injury.

Even where the policy is meant to change eligibility, the ripple shows up in food banks. As Arizona’s SNAP participation drops, nonprofits are feeling the effects. St. Mary’s Food Bank. the largest in the state. has seen a 15% increase in need this year. which translates into 300. 000 more visits from people in search of food. according to Milt Liu. the chief executive officer. “It’s important for everyone to realize that policies have implications for people on the edge. and we’re seeing that in our line every day. ” he said.

In the end, the law’s defenders said they were protecting children. The counts from states that track ages tell a different story: in 12 states. 776. 134 children were among the 1. 670. 011 people no longer receiving SNAP benefits. and Arizona’s child losses — 205. 223 since July 2025 — show how quickly a promise about “neediest” families can collide with the reality of a benefits system that’s harder to navigate.

For Ana Alvarez, the policy’s impact is immediate and personal. She has been waiting since December for SNAP approval, and when she calls, she hears she will have to keep waiting.

SNAP food assistance children Arizona Louisiana work requirements USDA Brooke Rollins Glenn GT Thompson John Rose Dusty Johnson House Agriculture Committee error rates St. Mary’s Food Bank