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By Aliss Higham
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Four million fewer Americans are collecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the first year of the Trump administration, data from the federal government shows.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) preliminary data released this month shows that the total number of beneficiaries nationwide has dropped by around 4.2 million between January 2025 and January 2026, from 42.8 million users to under 38.6 million.
SNAP benefits are issued to low- and no-income Americans nationwide to help with the cost of groceries, and is the largest food aid program in the United States. The drop in recipients comes following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in July 2025, which made a host of changes to the program, including new restrictions on who qualifies and additional work requirement rules.
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Drop in SNAP Recipients
The OBBBA introduced major SNAP changes, including expanded work requirements for adults up to age 64, stricter employment and training rules for ABAWD (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents), and the removal of some exemptions previously available to veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth. It also tightened restrictions for lawfully present immigrants, largely refugees, who, in some cases, could claim benefits.
For much of the first half of 2025, the decline in SNAP recipients was relatively gradual, with totals remaining above 42 million from January 2025 through July, though recipients did drop by just more than 800,000.
After July, however, the pace of decline became much steeper, with enrollment falling by around 3.4 million between August 2025 and January 2026 alone.
The largest single-month drop in individual recipients was between October 2025 and November 2025, when SNAP enrollment fell from 41,091,800 to 39,997,940: a decline of 1,093,860 recipients in just one month. November 1 was the deadline set by the USDA for state SNAP administrators to comply with the OBBBA rules.
Why Have Some SNAP Recipients Lost Benefits?
The new rules likely reduced SNAP enrollment because they made it harder for many adults to qualify for benefits and remain eligible once enrolled. The biggest change was the expansion of work requirements: adults who were previously exempt—particularly those aged 55 to 64—were now required to work or participate in a training program to continue receiving aid.
Parents with children aged 14 and older also lost broader caregiver exemptions, meaning many single-parent households were brought under new compliance rules. In addition, exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth were removed, pulling more recipients into the work requirement system.
These changes do not always mean someone becomes ineligible because their income is too high. More often, recipients lose benefits because the new rules mean they no longer meet the threshold for receiving benefits, miss paperwork deadlines, or struggle with the recertification process.
SNAP recipients must recertify regularly, usually every three to six months, depending on the state, to continue receiving payments. If someone becomes subject to new eligibility rules during that process, they may no longer qualify for benefits.
Predictions on Benefit Loss
A dip in the number of SNAP recipients due to the OBBBA rules was not unexpected. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected in its August 2025 analysis of the law that about 4 million people would be affected by reduced or lost SNAP benefits, including people who would be fully removed from the program as well as household members whose benefits would shrink because someone else in the home lost eligibility.
Criticism of SNAP Rules
Numerous charities and left-leaning think tanks have criticized the changes to SNAP.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has said that "the vast majority of people who would lose SNAP under an expanded work requirement would lose the assistance they need to afford groceries with no improvement in their job prospects or income." The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has similarly warned that stricter eligibility rules act as "a barrier to food access rather than a pathway to employment."
Earlier this year, the Center for American Progress (CAP) projected nearly 70,000 avoidable deaths linked to enrollment losses from expanded work requirements.
Trump Administration Position
The Trump administration has said the rules are required to discourage reliance on benefits and to stop supposed "fraud and abuse" in the program.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on the passage of the bill in 2025 that it "tackles the fraud and waste that has run rampant" in the program.
"The bill holds states accountable for their error rates, strengthens work requirements, and prevents illegal aliens from receiving SNAP," Rollins added.
President Donald Trump said in November 2025 that the program is intended for those who have "real problems" and people who are "down and out."
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