More than 1 million children have lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits since the Republican-backed tax and spending law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, took effect in July 2025, according to multiple analyses reported by The Guardian, Newsweek and The Washington Post.
An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 4 million Americans overall were removed from SNAP between July 2025 and March 2026. More recent estimates from PBS NewsHour and other outlets put the total closer to 3.5 million, while one report cited 4.5 million, as the figure continues to climb with more state data and phased-in provisions.
Arizona recorded the steepest decline, with child enrollment down roughly 49% and overall participation down 51%, by far the largest drop of any state. Massachusetts and Texas also saw significant declines. Nationally, SNAP participation fell from about 42 million people in early 2025 to just over 37 million by April 2026, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
CBPP warned the situation could worsen. "Without immediate congressional action to delay this cost shift for all states, the unfolding emergency will only worsen as more children are cut off from the food assistance their families need to afford nutritious food," the organization said.
The declines stem from the law's stricter work requirements, which raised the age threshold for mandatory work from 54 to 64, along with tougher documentation and eligibility rules, and new cost-sharing burdens on states, rather than a direct benefit cutoff written into the law. Some of the law's biggest SNAP-related cuts have not yet taken effect, and groups including CBPP expect the numbers to grow.