Why nearly 4.3 million people are no longer receiving food stamps

"As of just a couple of days ago, we now have moved 4.3 million Americans off of the food stamp program. A lot of that is fraud. A lot of it is people taking the program that shouldn't have been. And a lot of it is just a better economy. We've had wage growth that has outpaced inflation for the first time since early 2021. This is a really big day. So people don't need food stamps."

"SNAP beneficiaries decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026, according to preliminary government data released by the Agriculture Department. However, experts say new requirements mandated by a massive tax and spending cut bill Republicans pushed through Congress last summer are the primary reasons. The bill is projected to cut $186 billion in federal spending - 20% - from SNAP over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office."

"What we've seen in terms of the data is that the trend in participation declines seems to be related to the program being harder to access. said Roger Figueroa, an assistant professor at Cornell University who studies food insecurity from a public health perspective."

"Fraud within the SNAP is small, according to experts, not nearly enough to account for such a significant drop. In the financial year 2023, the latest data that is available, 41,476 people were disqualified from SNAP for fraud. That includes people who erroneously reported information during the application process and people who exchanged benefits for cash or other non-eligible item"

SNAP participation decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026 based on preliminary government data. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attributed the decline to reduced fraud, fewer people taking benefits improperly, and a stronger economy with wage growth outpacing inflation. Experts said fraud levels are too low to explain the magnitude of the drop. In financial year 2023, 41,476 people were disqualified for fraud, including erroneous reporting and exchanging benefits for cash or non-eligible items. Experts pointed instead to new requirements mandated by a major tax and spending cut bill passed last summer, projected to reduce SNAP spending by $186 billion over 10 years, making the program harder to access.

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