Millions of Americans have lost food assistance in the last year — and Black families are bearing the heaviest burden.

Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law on July 4, 2025, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has undergone the largest cuts in its history: $187 billion slashed over a decade, according to the Food Research & Action Center. Enrollment has fallen from roughly 42 million Americans to about 36 million as of June 2026. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates more than 5 million people — nearly 13 percent of recipients — have been pushed off the program.

What changed

The law dramatically expanded SNAP’s work requirements. Adults ages 18 to 64 must now document at least 80 hours a month of work, training, or volunteering — up from the previous cutoff at age 54. Parents who were once exempt if they had a child under 18 are now only exempt if their youngest is under 14. Exemptions that veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and youth aging out of foster care once relied on were stripped away. States can now only waive the requirements in areas with unemployment above 10 percent — a bar almost no community meets.

Starting October 1, 2026, states must also cover 75 percent of SNAP’s administrative costs, up from 50 percent — a shift analysts say will force states to cut enrollment further or raid education and health budgets. And in 22 states, new waivers now dictate what recipients can buy, banning sodas, candy, and energy drinks.

Why Black communities feel it most

SNAP has always been a lifeline disproportionately relied upon by Black America. Black people make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but roughly 26 percent of SNAP recipients — the largest overrepresentation of any group. More than one in five Black households relied on SNAP between 2019 and 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

That disparity isn’t accidental. Centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, and employment discrimination left Black families with far less wealth to fall back on — the median Black household earns about $36,000 less than the median white household. When benefits disappear, there’s no cushion. Research shows SNAP reduces food insecurity by about 30 percent, and among low-income households receiving benefits, racial gaps in food insecurity effectively disappear. Take the benefits away, and those gaps roar back.

The Congressional Budget Office projects the expanded work requirements alone will leave 2.4 million fewer Americans receiving SNAP in an average month over the next decade — with families of color hit hardest.

Already happening

The damage isn’t theoretical. In Virginia, 120,000 residents — 14 percent of the state’s caseload — lost benefits since the law took effect, overwhelming local food pantries as grocery prices climb. In Delaware, enrollment fell 15 percent. Arizona’s caseload dropped by more than half.

Meanwhile, the 2025 poverty data tells the broader story: 20.3 percent of Black Americans lived in poverty last year, more than double the rate for white Americans. SNAP lifted 3.1 million people out of poverty in 2025 alone. Every cut to the program pushes in the opposite direction.

What to watch

More changes phase in through 2027, and the November midterms will shape whether any of this gets reversed. For now, anyone on SNAP should watch for Work Activity Letters from their state, document every hour, and check whether they qualify for an exemption — pregnancy, disability, caregiving, or half-time school enrollment can still protect benefits.

The bottom line: hunger in America has never been about a shortage of food. It’s about policy choices — and right now, those choices are falling hardest on Black communities.