Hunger by Policy: SNAP cuts hit hardest in Black America

For the more than 10 million Black Americans who rely on federal food assistance to feed their families, the projected damage from food aid cuts was not just a warning.

- By JENNIFER PORTER GORE

((USDA))

They were all but a done deal.

What President Trump claims as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), signed into law in 2025, slashed $187 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade, triggering new work requirements, restricting what recipients can buy, and stripping benefits from legal immigrants.

The result: More than 4 million people — a cohort the size of the Los Angeles population — have already lost SNAP since the law took effect. Hunger prevention advocates say Black Americans have been disproportionately affected, and that the worst is still ahead.

The average SNAP benefit amounts to just $187 a month — or barely $6 a day — to supplement a household’s food budget. For many recipients, that modest sum is the difference between consistent meals and food insecurity.

Despite time-worn narratives about SNAP recipients being unemployed, Census Bureau data show that more than 75% of households receiving SNAP benefits include at least one working person. The reality is SNAP is not a program for people who won't work — it’s a program for people whose work doesn’t pay enough.

Who is affected

Dating back to the 1960s and President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society agenda, SNAP currently serves approximately 42 million Americans each month at an annual cost of roughly $113 billion, nearly all of which goes directly to food benefits.

Roughly 26% of SNAP participants — approximately 10.2 million people — are Black. Experts say the participation rate reflects both the program's reach into low-income communities and the persistent racial wealth and wage gaps that leave Black families with fewer financial cushions when income falls short.

New work requirements in the OBBBA budget have made it even harder for people to qualify for help with putting food on the table.