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Arizona SNAP enrollment fell by half as 5 million Americans so far have lost food aid
Arizona SNAP enrollment fell by half as 5 million Americans so far have lost food aid. Originally published by Arizona Mirror.
By Kevin Hardy · 2026-09-23T21:20:32.418Z
A sign noting the acceptance of electronic benefit transfer cards for food aid is displayed at a grocery store in California. New data shows millions of Americans have lost food stamps since the passage of a major law last year. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tens of thousands of Americans continue to lose access to food assistance each month, even as Congress debates slowing down major cuts to federal food stamps. New data https://fna bwbufwdzbabpezgc.z01.azurefd.us/sites/default/files/resource files/snap 4fymonthly 9.pdf from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows more than 330,000 Americans lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, between May and June, the latest numbers available. More than 5 million people have lost food stamps since the enactment last July of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut taxes and federal safety net programs. The law changed SNAP eligibility rules, ended certain work requirement exemptions and shifted new costs to states that administer the federal program. An analysis https://frac.org/snap participation data january 2025 present by the anti hunger nonprofit Food Research and Action Center shows SNAP participation has decreased since the new law in every state except Alaska. State leaders there cited unique geographic and economic conditions, including higher food prices and high seasonal unemployment specific to Alaska. In Arizona, SNAP participation dropped by more than half since July 2025, with about 421,000 people receiving assistance this June, the center’s data shows. Louisiana’s enrollment dropped by more than 173,000 — a decrease of about 22%. Participation in Illinois dropped by more than 368,000 — a drop of about 20%. Those numbers come as advocates pressure Congress to reverse the SNAP cuts they say will exacerbate growing hunger across the country as grocery prices continue to soar. While nonprofits and many local, state and federal political leaders have pushed for a complete rescission of those cuts, Republicans in control of Congress have so far only signed off on delaying some of their impact. For months, the Senate has been debating details of the farm bill, a major piece of legislation that funds SNAP, farm subsidies and rural development programs. Earlier this month, the Republican led Senate Agriculture Committee approved on party lines https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/09/16/with mcconnell back senate ag committee advances farm bill on party lines/ a farm bill proposal that would delay for one year impending SNAP cost shifts to states. Democrats had pushed for a two year extension. That legislation awaits debate by the full Senate before the current legislation’s Sept. 30 expiration. Last year’s tax and spending law requires states to cover more of SNAP’s administrative costs, and beginning in fall 2027, states for the first time will fund some benefits themselves. The new law will penalize states depending on their payment error rates — a technical calculation by the feds of SNAP overpayments and underpayments, not fraud. That change could cost states billions of dollars, raising fears about the future of the program. https://stateline.org/2026/07/09/food stamp changes will cost states billions raising fears about snaps future/ If the version of the farm bill that advanced this month is passed, states would have until October 2028 to lower their error rates before they are required to shoulder part of the costs. Aside from coming up with the funds, states will likely need to implement new IT and budgeting processes. Historically, SNAP benefits were not a budget line item for states because federal funds flowed directly to recipients’ benefit cards, Lauren Kallins, a senior legislative director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, told lawmakers in July. https://www.ncsl.org/state legislatures news/details/states brace for snap cost shifts?utm source=NCSL+Press+Room&utm campaign=8feeb8876a EMAIL CAMPAIGN 2025 09 23 02 50 COPY 01&utm medium=email&utm term=0 ade6b768d2 489072241 “There are lots of questions about how and when the cost share will be paid,” Kallins said. “Will this be in real time as benefits are issued? Will it be reconciled at a later date? We don’t know.” Republicans, including Arkansas U.S. Sen. John Boozman who leads the agriculture committee, have argued that error rates are evidence that improvements are needed https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman boozman statement on snap error rate in state administration of the program. Anti hunger advocacy groups say the one year delay is insufficient to protect states and people relying on SNAP. “We urge Senators to speak out against this flawed Farm Bill and to stop it from advancing to the floor for a vote,” Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research and Action Center, said in a statement last week. “Congress must use any other legislative vehicle to reverse the SNAP cuts and address the cost shifts to states to provide meaningful assistance to both families and farmers.” Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org . This story was originally produced by Stateline https://stateline.org/2026/09/23/more americans lose snap as congress weighs food stamps future/ , which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Arizona Mirror, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c 3 public charity.