Texas sees steepest food stamp enrollment drop in 17 years as families struggle to put food on the table

Texas food stamp rolls have dropped to a record low, even as food banks report high demand.

The disconnect is leaving more Texas families without a benefit that often helps keep food on the table during difficult stretches.

Here's what to know

With 2.8 million Texans registered as of September, state enrollment in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, is at a 17-year low. The numbers mirror enrollment at the national level, which has also hit its lowest since 2009.

Experts told the Texas Tribune that the declines appear to be linked to 2025's federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which tightened eligibility standards, expanded work requirements, and established penalties for states with high payment error rates. Texas enrollment fell 20.8% from September 2025, the steepest year-over-year drop the state has seen in the past two decades, according to the newspaper.

"The declines aren't the result of people leaving the program because they no longer need it, or because they found work," Celia Cole, CEO of a network of food banks called Feeding Texas, told the Tribune. "At the same time that you're seeing this record low enrollment, we're seeing record high need in our communities. More people need help, and really people need deeper help."

More background

Children account for a huge share of Texas SNAP recipients, at 1.4 million, but they also represent more than half of the decline in enrollment since September 2025. State data also show SNAP participation among children under five has fallen to a more than 20-year low.

SNAP eligibility can trigger other supports for families, including free school lunches for children and a better place in line for subsidized child care if they apply. But some parents waited months to learn they were denied program enrollment, while others had reapplications under review for months.

What's being done?

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission said it will keep helping eligible Texans access food and health care benefits while enforcing new program rules. 

Meanwhile, food banks and private grocers are trying to cover some of the shortfall. 

Many Feeding Texas food banks are rolling back how often people can come or how much they can receive because demand is so high. 

Supermarket chain Brookshire Brothers has also promoted its Brown Bag of Hope program, which lets shoppers buy a bag for $10 meant to feed a family of four. The company has distributed more than 4,000 bags, according to the Tribune.

For Diana Forester, director of health policy for Texans Care for Children, the stakes are simple. 

"We don't want kids or seniors going to bed hungry because state workers can't get through the stack of SNAP applications piling up in their office," she told the newspaper.

Where can I learn more?

These stories offer more on the financial strain and food-access hurdles facing families as SNAP enrollment falls across the U.S.

• Across the U.S., families are leaning more on frozen meals as budgets tighten.

• Shoppers using Flashfood have been cutting grocery bills on surplus food without SNAP.

• For some families, SNAP benefits can also buy garden seeds, stretching food budgets beyond checkout.

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