Millions of Americans are already losing food assistance as provisions of President Donald Trump and the GOP’s damaging One Big Beautiful Bill Act continue to take effect, leaving families with smaller grocery budgets, increasing pressure on food banks, and raising concerns about the future.
Particular concerns are around the consequences that will reach classrooms where millions of children depend on free school meals.
The impact is expected to be especially pronounced locally. An Urban Institute analysis estimates that more than 230,000 families across the District, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia will lose some or all of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits once the law is fully implemented.
Nationally, the Urban Institute projects that the legislation will reduce federal SNAP spending by $186 billion over the next decade and affect all 22.3 million families receiving SNAP benefits. Of those, 5.3 million families are expected to lose at least $25 a month, with an average monthly reduction of $146.
“SNAP has given me the peace of mind to know that no matter what else is going on in our finances my children will not go hungry,” said Karen, a local SNAP recipient. “I have often said to them you have never gone a day without having nutritious food to eat. That is entirely because of SNAP. [If there were cuts to SNAP] that peace of mind would be gone for our family.”
Greyson, a SNAP recipient, said SNAP has helped prevent an impossible choice between keeping a home and putting food on the table.
“Without SNAP, we would have to choose to pay for housing or food. You always have to pick housing, because you can survive hunger better than exposure,” he stated. “With SNAP, it gives a specific amount, so you can focus on making money for housing.”
The reductions add another financial strain for households already facing higher costs for food, housing, child care, health care and utilities. According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), nearly half of American families cannot meet the real cost of living as expenses continue to climb. The organization also found that one in five children lives in a household that struggles to afford enough food.
SNAP remains the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, serving more than 42 million Americans in 2025. Combined with Medicaid, the two programs provide food assistance and health coverage for approximately 34 million children, nearly 45% of all children in the United States.
Researchers say those protections already are eroding.
The CAP reported that nearly 4.2 million people lost SNAP benefits between July 2025, when the law took effect, and February 2026 after new paperwork requirements and tighter eligibility standards were implemented. In the 12 states reporting child participation data, more than 700,000 children lost SNAP benefits during that period.
The report also warns that states could eliminate policies that currently allow many working families to qualify for SNAP, placing more than 1.8 million additional children at risk of losing benefits. New Medicaid work reporting requirements scheduled to begin in January 2027 are projected to leave another 5.2 million people without health coverage by 2034.
Separate tracking by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found SNAP participation has declined by more than 4 million people nationwide between July 2025 and March 2026, a 10 percent decrease. The organization said participation has fallen in every state and noted that the last comparable decline over such a short period occurred after Congress enacted major changes to the Food Stamp Program in 1996.
Kelly, a Maryland resident, said losing benefits would force her to surrender the independence she has worked to maintain.
“I can prepare and eat food in my own home. I am a victim of a hit and run, currently unable to return to work. At this time, I can feed myself healthily from using my independence card at a store two blocks away, instead of depending on soup kitchens,” she said. “If there were cuts to my benefit, I’d have to go to food banks, churches, and soup kitchens, to eat wherever I can find food offered, until I am strong enough to return to work.”
‘We’d All Starve Without SNAP‘
The D.C. region illustrates what those numbers mean for families.
According to the Urban Institute, about 50,000 families in the Capital Area Food Bank service region are expected to lose at least $25 in SNAP benefits each month. Those households are projected to lose an average of $187 monthly, substantially higher than the national average.
Families living in the District are expected to experience the steepest reductions in the region, averaging $231 a month. Based on average food prices in D.C., researchers said that reduction is roughly equal to 40 meals every month.
The analysis also found that approximately 26,000 families with children and 33,000 working families in the Washington metropolitan area will lose at least $25 in monthly SNAP benefits.
For one parent raising infant twins, the impact is impossible to separate from everyday survival.
“Twin girls. $50 can of formula lasts 1.5 days,” said Mary Grace, a SNAP recipient. “One income. I get to eat; they get to eat. We’d all starve without SNAP.”
Researchers say the financial strain does not end at the grocery store.
Experts concluded that cuts to SNAP and Medicaid also threaten children’s access to free school breakfasts and lunches because many students qualify automatically through those programs.
During the 2024-25 school year, approximately 33.9 million public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals through individual eligibility or the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Of those, 24.6 million qualified individually, including roughly 10.6 million who were automatically certified. More than 49,000 public schools participated in the CEP, providing free meals to more than 25 million students.
Under federal rules, schools must have at least 25% of students directly certified for free meals to participate in the CEP. If enough families lose SNAP or Medicaid benefits, schools can fall below that threshold, jeopardizing free meals for every student in the building rather than only those whose families lost assistance.
Researchers said schools could be forced to return to household income applications, increasing administrative costs while reducing participation because of paperwork and stigma. They also warned that diminished funding could make it more difficult for schools to maintain staffing and food quality.
The CAP estimates that a family with two children who loses access to free school meals would spend an additional $1,170 each year on school lunches and another $720 on breakfasts, bringing the annual total to about $1,890. Packing lunches instead could cost more than $2,214 a year.
The report estimates that approximately 72,552 public school students in the District had access to free or reduced-price meals during the 2024-25 school year, while more than 67,000 attended schools participating in the CEP.
For Karen, the fear of how the cuts will affect her family looms.
“There very well could be days in the future, where I wouldn’t be able to afford food for my children,” she continued. “My children have many food allergies and require a strict diet that wouldn’t be available at food banks.”
