US food aid rolls back as millions lose SNAP benefits

More than 4.7 million people across the United States have lost SNAP benefits since Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and Arizona has taken the steepest hit, losing more than 457,000 recipients, including nearly 196,000 children.

Public Law 119-21, signed on July 4, 2025, changes SNAP eligibility, benefits and administration. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in August 2025 that the law would cut SNAP spending by about $187 billion through 2034, and that the work-requirement changes alone would reduce participation by about 2.4 million people in a typical month. Those requirements now reach able-bodied adults through age 64 without dependent children, and adults ages 18 to 64 who live with children age 14 or older.

The federal share of annual SNAP administrative costs falls from 50% to 25% beginning in fiscal year 2027. In Arizona, the state is implementing the federal rules.

Angelica Garcia of Tucson said renewing her benefits became far more difficult than she expected. She filled out the application, called the state agency repeatedly, waited on hold until the line dropped, then went to a crowded office and spent hours waiting for a caseworker. By the time her benefits were restored in June, she had gone two months without assistance and was relying on food pantry donations and inexpensive staples such as beans, rice and tortillas to feed her family. “Always” hoops, she said, and now the government is “adding more hoops.”

Arizona’s decline has also been visible at food banks and pantries, where demand is rising as households lose benefits or wait for approvals. The state’s losses amount to about a 51% drop in enrollment, and local charities are seeing longer lines and tighter budgets.