Federal SNAP cuts have denied millions of Latinos and other Americans help paying for food

Authored by Stan Dorn, UnidosUS’s health policy director.

Families across America are facing significant and increasing challenges in affording basic necessities, including food. In late May, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported national survey results finding “a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and families with children.” More than a third of all survey respondents, including 44% of people of color and 43% of families with children, reported that they recently depleted their savings to cover everyday expenses. According to the report, families with children are more likely to go hungry now than during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It thus comes as no surprise that UnidosUS’s May 2026 survey of Latino² public opinion found that by far the top priority Latino voters wanted their elected officials to address was the cost of living. And among the many voters prioritizing the cost of living, by far the most important item was the cost of food and basic living expenses. 

What does come as a surprise, given these headwinds, is that federal policymakers have been slashing the assistance they formerly provided to help families pay for food. The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) made history’s largest cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the country’s most important source of assistance low-income families use to buy food for children, seniors, people with disabilities and adults working low-wage jobs. According to survey data from 2023, Latinos comprise 31% of all SNAP participants, including more than 40% of all children who benefit from SNAP. At the time of the survey, 10.9 million Latinos — including 5 million Latino children— participated in SNAP.  

When OBBBA passed in 2025, experts at the Urban Institute projected that: 

• 22.3 million families would lose some or all SNAP benefits.  

• 5.3 million families would lose especially significant amounts, averaging nearly $1,800 less per year to help pay for food. More than 3 in 5 of these hard-hit families (62%) include children.  

Although the Trump administration stopped surveying Americans about hunger and food insecurity, the administration has continued reporting the number of people who participate in SNAP. Nationally, more than 10% of people who relied on SNAP to help pay for food have lost their benefits entirely during the most recent 12 months for which the administration reports data, with SNAP participation dropping from 42.2 million people in February 2025 to 37.9 million in February 2026. 

If SNAP beneficiaries of all races and ethnicities were equally likely to lose SNAP, then 1.3 million Latinos would have lost their benefits — 30% of the 4.3 million people who lost SNAP between February 2025 and February 2026 (Appendix Table). Under that assumption: 

• The five states with the largest number of Latinos estimated to lose SNAP are Arizona, Texas, Florida, California and New York (Table 1). 

• The five states where people in Latino families make up the highest percentage of people losing SNAP are New Mexico, Texas, California, Arizona and New Jersey (Table 2).  

Table 1. In 10 states, more than 30,000 Latinos have lost SNAP, even under the unrealistically optimistic assumption that people of every race and ethnicity were equally likely to lose SNAP 

Latinos estimated to have lost SNAP in the states with the highest number of such Latinos, February 2025 to February 2026 

Source: UnidosUS calculations based on 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) data, accessed via IPUMS, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org (IPUMS); Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP Data Tables, State Level Participation & Benefits, Persons, data as of February 2026 (FNS state tables through 2/26).   

Note: To develop these estimates, we assumed that the reductions in SNAP participation shown in FNS state tables were distributed in each state based on the percentage of SNAP participants in each racial and ethnic group, as shown in 2024 ACS data. Put differently, we assumed that, in each state, SNAP participants of every race and ethnicity were equally likely to have lost SNAP between February 2025 and February 2026.  

Table 2. In 10 states, more than 35% of the people who have lost SNAP are Latino, even under the unrealistically optimistic assumption that people of every race and ethnicity were equally likely to lose SNAP  

The percentage of people losing SNAP who are estimated to be Latino in the states with the highest such percentages, February 2025 to February 2026 

Source: UnidosUS calculations based on 2024 ACS data, accessed via IPUMS; FNS state tables through 2/26.  See Notes for Table 1.  

In truth, these estimates almost certainly are too low. Latinos are far more likely than non-Hispanic white people to have lost SNAP, for many reasons:  

• OBBBA eliminated SNAP eligibility for numerous lawfully present immigrants, who are disproportionately likely to be Latino or to come from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.  

• Eligible immigrant families are increasingly reluctant to participate in programs like SNAP. The combination of indiscriminate and cruel immigration enforcement, the administration’s attempted sharing of personal SNAP files with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and harsh proposed public charge rules has caused a tremendous chilling effect limiting SNAP participation by Hispanic and AANHPI families.  

• To qualify for a medically based exemption from OBBBA’s new SNAP work documentation requirements, people must see a physician and obtain a qualifying medical report. But 14% of Latinos who participate in SNAP are uninsured, compared to 7% of non-Hispanic white people.³ This limits Latinos’ ability to see a healthcare provider, which makes it harder for Latinos to qualify for SNAP work documentation exemptions, even if they have a serious medical problem.   

• OBBBA eliminated the SNAP education program, which informed families about nutrition and how to apply for SNAP. English-language materials from this program remain available online. But the Trump administration took down all materials that were in languages other than English, including Spanish. This makes it harder for people with limited English proficiency (LEP) to obtain SNAP. In 2024, a third of all Latinos who participated in SNAP had LEP (32%), including nearly two-thirds of Latino elders who relied on the program for food (63%).⁴ Taking away Spanish-language help has surely had an outsized impact on Latino families’ access to SNAP. 

To make matters worse, lawmakers have launched new attacks on SNAP and other nutrition security programs. The Agriculture Appropriations bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee, for example, proposes yet another SNAP cut, eliminating $6.2 billion that otherwise would have been used to feed low-income families. If this cut goes through, all participating families could again get thrown off SNAP if another government shutdown happens later this year.  

The bill also proposes major cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), taking away nutritious food from almost 7 million pregnant women, new mothers, infants, toddlers and preschool children, 40% of whom are Latino. It boggles the mind that lawmakers can easily find the resources to wage war abroad and finance indiscriminate and extreme immigration enforcement at home, but when it comes to helping American families pay for food, the congressional till is empty. 

The precipitous drop in SNAP participation, at precisely the time when Americans need more help buying groceries, has taken a terrible toll in the Latino community. Latinos across America will be watching carefully in the coming weeks and months to see whether their elected representatives make it easier or even more difficult for hardworking constituents to feed their families.   

Appendix: Tables for 50 states and the District of Columbia 

Appendix Table 1. Net losses in SNAP participation, estimated by state, race and ethnicity: February 2025 to February 2026

Source: UnidosUS calculations based on 2024 ACS data, accessed via IPUMS; FNS state tables through February 2026.   

Note: To develop these estimates, we assumed that the reductions in SNAP participation shown in FNS state tables were distributed in each state based on the percentage of SNAP participants in each racial and ethnic group, as shown in 2024 ACS data. Put differently, we assumed that SNAP participants of every race and ethnicity were equally likely to have lost SNAP between February 2025 and February 2026. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Latinos are Hispanics of all races. Other racial and ethnic groups are limited to non-Hispanics. AANHPI = Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. “Other” includes people who identify as multiracial.  “N/A” = sample size too small to yield meaningful results. The negative numbers for Alaska and Hawaii indicate an increase in SNAP participation, rather than a drop.  

Appendix Table 2. Losses in SNAP participation, distributed by state and estimated for race and ethnicity: February 2025 to February 2026 

Source: UnidosUS calculations based on 2024 ACS data, accessed via IPUMS; FNS state tables through February 2026.   

Note: To develop these estimates, we assumed that the reductions in SNAP participation shown in FNS state tables were distributed in each state based on the percentage of SNAP participants in each racial and ethnic group, as shown in 2024 ACS data. Put differently, we assumed that SNAP participants of every race and ethnicity were equally likely to have lost SNAP between February 2025 and February 2026. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Latinos are Hispanics of all races. Other racial and ethnic groups are limited to non-Hispanics. AANHPI = Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. “Other” includes people who identify as multiracial. “N/A” = sample size too small to yield meaningful results. Alaskans and Hawaiians experienced an increase in SNAP participation, rather than a drop.