Overview:
The data show that the effects of the Trump administration’s cuts are kicking in even faster than estimated. More than 5 million have lost food assistance since last year when Congress approved roughly $187 billion from SNAP.
Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act went into effect July 2025, more than 5 million people have lost federal food assistance benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Economists’ predictions were that the major cuts, along with new work requirements, would affect most of the roughly 42 million people who use the benefits to keep food on the table each month. But the numbers show that the effects of the Trump administration’s cuts are happening even faster than estimated. More people have lost benefits more quickly than even the Congressional Budget Office predicted they would, CBPP notes. “The last time there was such a steep decrease in participation (other than temporary spikes following natural disasters) was nearly three decades ago, after Congress enacted deep cuts to SNAP (then the Food Stamp Program) in 1996,” the organization notes.
“It felt like a crisis a year ago when it paused, and it was,” said Dustin Palmer, executive director of U.S. programs for the global nonprofit GiveDirectly. Now, he says, the policy changes are causing a slow decline and the bigger problem for participants is having to meet work requirements and other jump over reapplication hurdles to stay enrolled.
“Often people don’t know they’re going to lose the benefit in advance,” Palmer says. “[They’ve] missed a letter that went to [an address] from three mailing addresses ago.” Something as simple as missing a phone call from a blocked number can cause havoc. “The way you find out is when you go to swipe your card and there’s no money on it, and that is so destabilizing,” he says.
With Thanksgiving approaching, the lean times become more pronounced. Grocery prices are still rising and households have to decide how to navigate the crisis..
In an effort to shore up families, the global nonprofit GiveDirectly is launching a Thanksgiving SNAP Bridge Fund, with direct, one-time cash payments to families with no strings attached.
GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to struggling families in the United States and worldwide.
Founded by economists, GiveDirectly primarily helped families and individuals internationally since 2009. That changed in 2017, with the addition of unconditional cash aid to low-income Americans.
“Our mission is to accelerate the end of extreme poverty,” said Palmer. The goal was to provide support without stigma.
“We asked, ‘What if you just gave money to people directly and tried to cut out as much of the middleman and the judgment and the paternalism as you could, and trust people with cash?’ ” he said.
In more than 30 randomized controlled studies largely of their global programs, the findings have been positive, with direct cash significantly improving the monetary and physical health of families and local communities.
Results are more anecdotal for the U.S. work, which grew out of disaster response, expanded during the pandemic and has delivered more than $400 million to low-income families.
With the Thanksgiving SNAP Bridge Fund, the organization’s GiveCard will deliver one-time $100 payments directly to families who have lost SNAP benefits. The cash comes with no strings attached, so families can spend the money on food, gasoline, travel expenses, or whatever they need most.
Enrollment opens Nov. 4 through Propel, a free app that Palmer says roughly one in four SNAP households use to manage their EBT balances.
“We know this $100 will not replace SNAP for a family,” Palmer said. “It’s temporary. It’s a one-time [thing],” Palmer said. “It’s just an opportunity for folks who want to support neighbors and families who are going to wake up one day and not have” food stamps available.
“We’re just hoping to open up an avenue in this moment that gives people an opportunity to give and to receive a little bit of support when it’s hard out there.”
The timing is deliberate. “Inflation keeps grinding on,” he continued. “Prices are higher during the holidays. Heating bills, all sorts of [costs] like that,” Palmer says. Providing cash “lets [recipients] buy diet-appropriate or hot foods if they’re in a food desert.The campaign is privately funded, and Palmer hopes the public will give. The organization accepts donations year-round through its website.
Finding Food: Websites, apps and social media
- Feeding America: A searchable database of food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, meal programs and other resources.
- Foodfinder: A free app to help food-insecure people find local free food resources. Once it pinpoints your location, it automatically gives a list of nearby options, including addresses and directions. Apple | Google
- Freedge: A network of public refrigerators in the U.S. and worldwide that allow communities to share food. These tend to be volunteer reports so some locations may not be on the list.
- Nextdoor: A social media app that lets people in the same neighborhood interact. It allows neighbors to discuss what is happening directly around their homes and is often used by people seeking specific services, items or resources. Apple | Google
- Plentiful: A free app that provides local resources for people experiencing food insecurity. The app lists resources, agencies and food banks in the user’s area. Apple | Google or Text FOOD to PANTRY (726-879).
