Food banks confront growing SNAP gap

Data: CBPP; Map: Sara Wise/Axios

American food assistance has been rocked by a regulatory earthquake while millions have been dropped from one of the nation's premier safety net programs, tightening the strain on food banks and state agencies.

The big picture: As the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) continues to undergo a historic remolding, food banks say they're staring down a gap they can't fill.

"We've been operating kind of in emergency management mode," says Terri Shoemaker, the executive vice president of the Arizona Food Bank Network. "At some point, that will fatigue."

By the numbers: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that SNAP participation fell by more than 4.5 million people between the July 2025 enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill and April 2026, citing USDA and state-level data.

The organization estimates the number of children receiving SNAP has likely fallen by more than 1.5 million.

State of play: To meet increased demand, food banks are purchasing record levels of food, expanding application assistance and working with farmers and retailers to find additional supply sources, Feeding America CEO Denis McDonough says.

But SNAP changes are colliding with high prices, he tells Axios, leaving food banks bracing for as much or more demand than last fall's government shutdown.

"The decline in SNAP participation is not necessarily evidence that fewer people need help," he says. "It is likelier ... that the program has become harder for eligible people to access it."

Plus, persistently high prices mean "people who aren't otherwise eligible for SNAP are also now reliant on the charitable food system."

What they're saying: "SNAP is a means tested, appropriated entitlement. If a household is eligible, they receive the benefit," a USDA spokesperson told Axios in a statement.

"However," they continued, "those same households are subject to recertification. Individuals might move to employment, become disinterested in participating, or experience another change in household circumstances."

Catch up quick: SNAP now has expanded work requirements for food assistance, and exceptions for homeless people and veterans — as well as eligibility for many lawful immigrants — were removed.

On top of that, a new program provision means that states with error rates — a measure of underpayments or overpayments in benefits — of 6% or higher will be responsible for covering benefit costs beginning in FY 2028. In FY 2025, just nine states fell below 6%.

As states sprint to reduce their error rates before facing skyrocketing benefit bills next year, eligible households risk losing benefits because of administrative hurdles, like more frequent verification or processing delays, CBPP notes.

Case in point: That chaotic process is contributing to the sharp plummet of SNAP recipients in Arizona, Shoemaker says, where participation was cleaved roughly in half — the largest percentage change in the country.

The state's Department of Economic Security has had to take "distinct action" to address error rates, Shoemaker explains. If it doesn't, she warns, Arizona will be left with a bill it can't pay.

The changes have put those seeking benefits through hours-long interviews, extensive documentation checks and lengthy delays to ensure accuracy.

But Shoemaker stresses, "states should be looking at [error rates] really closely and trying to react because if they don't, then what's happening in Arizona will happen in other states."

Reality check: "Payment accuracy is important, but it's only one measure of the success of a program," says Joseph Llobrera, CBPP's food assistance team's senior director of research.

For example, he notes, there's no corresponding fiscal penalty for erroneously denying or delaying benefits to an eligible household.

What we're watching: Feeding America and other advocates are urging members of Congress to delay the tight cost-sharing deadline.

Go deeper: The food crisis is here ...