A major change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) took effect Oct. 1, shifting a larger share of the program's administrative costs to states.
As of Oct. 1, states now cover 75% of SNAP's administrative costs, up from 50%, reported CBS News on Wednesday. Beginning in October 2027, states with high payment-error rates will also owe up to 15% of benefit costs.
About 5.2 million Americans have lost SNAP benefits since H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, was enacted, according to an analysis from the Food Research & Action Center.
SNAP Faces Fallout
Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center, called the changes "absolutely unprecedented," reported CBS.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News that Trump is "strengthening SNAP for the Americans who need it by ensuring these programs are sustainable for future generations."
SNAP enrollment has fallen to its lowest level since 2019, according to the report.
The White House did not immediately respond to MarketDash's request for comment.
Democrats React To Changes to SNAP
Democratic lawmakers wasted no time criticizing the rollout. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posted on X that the provisions "cut Medicaid and eliminate funding for SNAP, threatening the food assistance and health care that millions of Americans depend on."
Echoing that concern, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote that "5 million people have already lost food assistance, including 1.5 million+ kids since the bill was enacted." Warren had sounded a similar alarm in September, warning that states could face an "existential crisis" as the federal share of SNAP administrative costs dropped from 50% to 25%.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker went further, saying on X that Trump "made families choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills."
Enrollment Drops Vary By State
Arizona has seen the steepest decline of any state, losing 52% of its SNAP caseload — about 461,272 people — since H.R. 1 was enacted in July 2025, according to FRAC's SNAP Participation Dashboard. Nationally, SNAP participation has fallen by about 6.1 million people since Trump took office in January 2025.
Separately, states have spent millions on contractors to rework eligibility systems for the new requirements, with Iowa alone expecting to spend $20.3 million.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.
