Overview
- Federal data show participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May 2026, a decline of more than 13 percent over 12 months.
- The decline is concentrated in a few states and is highly uneven, with Arizona reporting a roughly 50–55 percent one‑year drop and Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada and Florida each seeing declines of more than 20 percent.
- Policy changes in the 2025 'One Big Beautiful Bill' expanded work requirements and tightened verification, and officials say those rules are a key driver of the faster‑than‑expected fall in caseloads.
- State agencies and advocates report that large call volumes, extra paperwork, missed deadlines and document checks have cut off many people who may still qualify, producing immediate strain on families, school lunch programs and food banks.
- Experts warn of further effects next year when a cost‑sharing rule for states with high payment‑error rates takes effect in October 2027, and note the drop has already reached levels the Congressional Budget Office did not expect until years from now.