SNAP Cuts Threaten Food Security for Millions of Low-Income Families

SNAP cuts are falling hardest on single mothers and disabled citizens—exposing how policy choices deepen hunger in America’s most vulnerable communities.

Photo by Jacob McGowin on Unsplash

As winter approaches, families across the country are preparing for an impossible reality: shrinking grocery budgets, dwindling SNAP balances, and food banks with long lines and empty shelves. The administration’s newly expanded work requirements and reduced emergency funding threaten to cut assistance to millions who are already skipping meals to feed their children.

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With the upcoming holiday season just weeks away, millions of families are preparing for the very real possibility of losing their SNAP benefits. The Trump administration has implemented a series of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which are expected to significantly reduce access to food benefits for low-wage working families across the United States. Those who rely most heavily on SNAP-single mothers, people of color, and those working low-wage or unstable jobs-are projected to be the most severely affected. 

SNAP currently supports more than 40 million Americans, including a large percentage of households with children. According to the USDA, nearly 30% of SNAP benefits support households with children ages 5-17, and the Pew Research Center says 45% of households receiving SNAP are led by single-mothers. Nearly 50% of SNAP program participants also identify as a person of color. SNAP is a critical resource for helping marginalized families put food on the table, and too many will be forced to go hungry this winter as a result of these latest cuts. 

The new policies, rolled out as part of the administration’s broader restructuring of federal welfare programs, tighten work requirements and narrow SNAP eligibility thresholds. One of the most significant changes expands the category of “able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs). Previously, adults aged 18 to 54 without dependents were subject to a three-month limit on SNAP benefits unless they met a 20 hour a week work requirement or qualified for an exemption. 

Now, under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the range has been increased to 18-64, and caring for a child over 14 no longer counts as an exemption. This means a single mother with a 15-year-old could now be counted as an “able-bodied adult without dependents,” and would be required to prove consistent work hours or lose benefits. Temporary exemptions have also been removed for individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans transitioning to civilian life, and young adults aging out of foster care. 

A federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to keep SNAP operational, but Trump has only agreed to release two-thirds of those funds which will result in many receiving drastically reduced benefits or none at all. The order is also actively being challenged in courts, leaving millions of Americans without secure access to food and uncertainty about what will happen next. 

For the most vulnerable members of our country, it’s a terrifying reality to face. Single mothers are already reporting having to skip meals in order to keep their children fed. “There’s been days where the kids eat and I’ll just survive off water,” says Symone Wilkes, a single mother of two, who has only $23 left in her SNAP account. 

Others like Rosy Hernandez, who must give her autistic son constant care and supervision, has difficulty keeping a job. She only has $50 left to feed herself and her children as her benefits run dry. She now worries about needing to rely on a local food pantry as her son has very specific dietary needs that her SNAP benefits used to cover. “His diet might have to be forcefully changed,” she said. “And there’s just no telling how he will react.”

Food banks and local hunger relief organizations are bracing for the increased demand the SNAP cuts will bring. For people like Arianna Payton who lives on disability insurance, the only food bank in her area is empty. She was so desperate that she snuck into a Walmart dumpster, scavenging for anything she could find. “I grabbed as much as I could,” she said. “I wasn’t even looking to make sure that it was safe.”

 In a recent statement, Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network, describes SNAP as a “vital lifeline”and stressed that “when funding stops, hunger grows and local economies suffer.” Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity, meaning local grocery stores, farmers and retailers will also feel the effects of reduced benefits as less people are able to purchase their goods.

While the Trump administration has argued the new eligibility requirements will promote independence and reduce reliance on government assistance, the truth is that 86% of SNAP recipients are employed and earning income. They rely on SNAP to bridge the gap of low wages, unpredictable hours, and a lack of affordable childcare that makes keeping a stable job difficult, especially for single mothers. 

As the consequences of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continue to be felt across the nation, millions of Americans will be thrown out into the cold with nowhere to turn as local food banks are pushed to their limits and the future of SNAP funding remains in jeopardy.

If you or someone you love is facing food scarcity this holiday season, you’re not alone.

 Plentiful’s Access Map connects you to over 40,000 food pantries, community fridges, and free meal programs across the U.S.