As new cuts kick in, 5 million have already lost SNAP after initial Trump cuts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2026
Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barragán (CA-44) warned that another SNAP cut from H.R. 1, the Republican Reconciliation Law, has gone into effect.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is federally funded and administered by states. H.R. 1 cut the federal share of funding for SNAP administrative costs in half, meaning that states are now required to cover 75% of SNAP administrative costs. Those cuts became effective on October 1, 2026. Nationwide, this represents over $16 billion in reduced funding for SNAP.
In California, this means the state will have to pay at least $670 million more to keep the program operating. For state-by-state estimates of SNAP funding cuts effective today, click here.
The reduction of administrative funding leaves states with fewer resources to process applications, determine eligibility, and ensure families receive the benefits they are eligible for. This massive funding cut also jeopardizes other state and local services as states struggle to replace this lost funding. A similar cost shift, cutting federal payments to states for SNAP benefits, will go into effect October 1, 2027.
“Donald Trump and Republicans chose to give tax breaks to billionaires while making it harder for working families to put food on the table,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “Now, they are forcing states to pick up the tab for SNAP as they pile on new requirements and red tape onto a program that millions of Americans rely on to feed their families. That is the wrong choice, and families in California are paying the price. No parent should have to worry about whether they can afford their next meal because Republicans decided billionaires needed another tax break. I will continue fighting to reverse these cruel cuts, protect SNAP, and make sure families—not billionaires—are our priority.”
“Trump and Republicans in Congress passed tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires on the backs of families who are already struggling to afford sky-high grocery costs. Over 5 million Americans have already lost SNAP food assistance because of Trump’s cuts, and today, another SNAP cut from the Big Ugly Law kicks in. Trump and Republicans have handed states huge SNAP funding cuts, with more cuts coming next year. Worse still, these administrative cuts are coming as Republicans have also made SNAP more difficult to access. They’ve created new paperwork and new requirements, then cut the funding used to enroll people. Congress must fix these cuts through the Farm Bill and protect families who rely on SNAP to keep food on the table,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown, Vice Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Committee.
According to USDA data, more than 5 million Americans, including about 2 million children, have already lost SNAP since H.R. 1 was enacted in July 2025. In California, over 330,000 have lost SNAP coverage in the last year.
H.R.1’s SNAP cuts were enacted alongside cuts to Medicaid and other programs to pay for tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefited large corporations and the wealthiest Americans. The Republican Farm Bill which passed the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate, locks in $187 billion in SNAP cuts. Republicans rejected all Democratic attempts to roll back SNAP cuts in the House Farm Bill.
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