FLOURISH/CBPP/SNAP losses GOP Bill
By Aliss Higham
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More than 7 million Americans are at risk of losing some of their SNAP benefits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Why It Matters
The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives in May and is now being considered in the Senate, proposes a slew of major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
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SNAP provides food assistance to more than 40 million Americans—12 percent of the overall population. The proposed reforms could impact millions by tightening eligibility, shifting program costs to states, and limiting future benefit increases.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, said the passage of the bill would constitute "by far the largest cut to SNAP in history"—and millions could see a reduction or total loss of their benefits.
What To Know
Across all 50 states, 7.4 million are at risk of losing some of their benefits, the CBPP reports.
Texas is the state where the most people stand to lose, with some 683,000 expected to face cuts. In 2024, some 3,193,000 people claimed food assistance in Texas, with around 21 percent of beneficiaries are likely to be impacted.
In California, which has the highest number of SNAP claimants in the country, the CBPP predicts 645,000 will have their benefits reduced or lost—11 percent of the 5,380,000 recipients in the Golden State.
The state with the least amount of people expected to have their benefits impacted by the GOP bill is Wyoming, where 7,000 are at risk. However, given that 29,000 people in the Equality State claim SNAP, this translates to nearly a quarter of all beneficiaries—24.1 percent.
In New Mexico, the state with the highest proportion of SNAP recipients to its general population, 120,000 could lose some or all of their food assistance. Here, 26.5 percent (120,000) of 451,200 beneficiaries may be impacted.
What People Are Saying
The CBPP said in its May 28 report: "As a result of these cuts and other policies in the legislation—which are being used to pay partly for trillions in tax cuts skewed to the wealthy—millions of people would lose some or all of the food assistance they need to afford groceries, when many low-income households are struggling to afford the high cost of food and other basic needs."
Jennifer Greenfield, associate professor at University of Denver who specializes in the intersection of health and wealth disparities, told Newsweek: "The proposed changes to the SNAP program would be a disaster for hungry families and for states. States across the country are already facing significant budget shortfalls, and off-loading the costs of running SNAP programs from the federal budget to state budgets will force states to choose between cutting spending on health care and education or reducing food access for their most vulnerable families."
President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will "make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY!"
What Happens Next
The fate of the legislation moves to the GOP-controlled Senate this week, where potential changes to the House-approved bill will be considered.
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