Washington D.C — A new analysis from ProPublica shows that more than 770,000 children are unable to access SNAP benefits thanks to the Republican Tax Law passed last year. This report confirms a separate analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), which also showed that more than 700,000 children have been left without food assistance. Sadly, these analyses only include data from across 12 states meaning that the total number of children who have been left with SNAP is likely much higher.
ProPublica’s analysis confirms a sad truth – congressional Republicans’ voted to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires by ripping food assistance away from children,” said Unrig Our Economy spokesperson Kobie Christian. “This confirmation comes as grocery costs continue to climb due to Republicans’ tariffs and their unnecessary war in Iran. These SNAP cuts could also have significant ramifications for public health, since children who receive SNAP tend to be healthier over the course of their lives. Republicans in Congress cannot keep selling off our children’s future to give the ultra-wealthy more tax breaks.”
ProPublica: More Than 770,000 Children Are No Longer Receiving SNAP Benefits After Trump Changes Federal Food Program.
Key Points:
- As a House committee debated President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill last year, Republican backers repeatedly emphasized that its changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, wouldn’t affect vulnerable people.
- But nearly a year after the measure was signed into law, the number of children receiving food assistance has plummeted by at least 776,000, according to a ProPublica analysis.
- At least 12 states break down program participation by age, and of the 1,670,011 people who are no longer receiving benefits in those states, 776,134, or 46%, were children.
- Another analysis reached the same conclusion: Just last month, the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found there were 700,000 fewer children receiving food assistance.
- Arizona has seen the nation’s largest percentage decline in SNAP participants; 205,223 children are no longer receiving the benefit since July 2025, a 55% drop. Louisiana had the second largest percent decline among children, 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.
- In addition, states will have to pay a larger share of SNAP benefits starting in October 2027, based on their error rate. Error rates reflect overpayments or underpayments of SNAP benefits.
- While sometimes characterized as fraud, such errors are usually the fault of the state agency or the SNAP recipient, according to USDA, which describes them as “largely unintentional.”
- Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, asked Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins about her recent comments that it was “good news” that millions of people no longer receive SNAP. If more than 700,000 children have been dropped in the 12 states that report those figures, “that number’s going to be into the millions” when other states are included, he said.
- Research shows that children who receive SNAP benefits are healthier, have better academic outcomes, use hospitals less often and have better mental health as teenagers.
- 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.
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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