The number of people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is falling fast. The program formerly known as food stamps helped roughly 42 million Americans put food on the table in 2025.

As of June 2026, the most recent data available, the number of people enrolled in the program in the whole country had declined by almost 13% to 36.4 million. Among those no longer getting benefits are an estimated 1.5 million children.

What explains this decline?

President Donald Trump says a strong economy has driven down demand for the program.

It’s possible that some people have left the program because their incomes rose. But the enrollment decline has a lot to do with the big tax-and-spending package the president signed into law in July 2025.

States are struggling to keep up

For example, the law caused some immigrants residing legally in the country, such as refugees and those seeking asylum, to no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits.

In addition, more people enrolled in SNAP now may only get up to three months of benefits if they don’t work, engage in training programs or volunteer at least 80 hours a month. These work requirements previously applied only to adults up to the age of 54; that cutoff is rising to 64. Another change is that parents of older children ages 14-17 are now expected to meet these work requirements.

All states are phasing in these restrictions, but the number of people getting SNAP benefits is falling much faster in some states than others. That includes Arizona, where enrollment has fallen by almost half, along with Louisiana and Illinois, where it’s down by about one-fifth.

And now, states must pay more to run SNAP, which is federally funded but state-administered.

In my research on the history of SNAP, I’ve found that changes in the way states run their programs have........

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