SNAP Enrollment Plummets Amid Stricter Work Requirements

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has experienced a rapid nationwide decline since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was enacted in July 2025. The legislation expanded work-requirement rules for adults up to age 64 and removed several exemptions, including those for veterans, homeless individuals, former foster youth, and many caregivers. The Trump administration has linked the falling participation to both anti-fraud efforts and a strengthening economy.

Newsweek

USDA data show that 36.6 million people received SNAP benefits in May 2026, down from 37.07 million in April 2026. Since May 2025, when enrollment peaked at 42.3 million, roughly 5.7 million recipients have been lost. Twenty-three states recorded declines of at least 10 percent, and eleven fell by 15 percent or more; the median state decline is about 8.8 percent. Arizona saw the steepest proportional drop—53.6 percent, from 882,419 to 409,584 recipients. Georgia’s participation fell 37.3 percent (1.89 million to 1.19 million). Texas, Florida, Nevada, Louisiana, California and Illinois each lost between 19 percent and 21 percent of their caseloads, with Texas shedding roughly 564,300 participants. Alaska was the sole state with a gain, rising 3.5 percent from 67,168 to 69,502 recipients.

Newsweek

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argued that the decline reflects “a lot of that is fraud…and a lot of it is just a better economy,” emphasizing that rising wages and employment are moving households off assistance while USDA fraud reviews are removing improper cases. The USDA’s preliminary review of 29 state agencies identified potential duplicate enrollments, records tied to deceased individuals and questionable Social Security numbers, suggesting possible billions of dollars in fraud, waste and abuse, though many cases remain unverified.

Newsweek

• “A lot of that is fraud…and a lot of it is just a better economy.” — Brooke Rollins, agriculture secretary

Newsweek