Food assistance enrollment has fallen to its lowest level in 17 years following the 2025 Republican reconciliation law.
Between the law's July 2025 enactment and May 2026, USDA data shows SNAP participation down by roughly 5 million people, about 12 percent. Around 1.5 million of them are children. Enrollment is falling faster than projected.
The decline is uneven. Eight states have seen participation drop 20 percent or more. Arizona has fallen furthest, with 45 percent fewer people enrolled over the past year.
The mechanism is worth being precise about, because it is not a straightforward eligibility cut. The law imposed expanded work-reporting requirements, and the reporting burden itself is doing much of the work: people who remain eligible lose benefits because they fail to complete paperwork, miss a reporting deadline, or cannot navigate the process. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has been tracking the losses as the law is implemented.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said publicly that the cuts would not have “that much effect.”