East Texas Food Bank

Proposed SNAP Cuts Would Be the Largest Rollback of Food Assistance in Our Nation’s History

The latest plan would take food away from vulnerable Texans and upend SNAP’s funding structure.

TEXAS – Today, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to markup its reconciliation bill, which requires $230 billion in spending cuts. Bill language released yesterday shows that the committee plans to hit that target through devastating cuts to the SNAP program, which would increase food insecurity and take food away from hungry Americans by decreasing grocery benefits and kicking people off the program.  

“Our food bank network is gravely concerned about the impact these debilitating cuts will have in our state,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. “Families across Texas are already struggling to find affordable food and healthcare, pay their rent, and put gas in the car. From seniors living on fixed incomes, to veterans unable to find work, to families with children juggling a tight budget, too many Texans are hurting. If passed, this $230 billion cut would be the largest rollback of food assistance in our nation’s history at a time when one in six Texas households already struggle to put food on the table.” 

The bill released yesterday includes changes that would: 

• limit future adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan, depressing benefit levels and making it harder for families to afford groceries for years to come;

• subject more seniors (up to age 65) and more parents (for children as young as 7) to the harsh three-month time limit by requiring that they document 20 hours of work per week in order to receive benefits; 
• make refugees ineligible for SNAP, denying them a basic need and hampering their successful integration into society; and 

• require states to pay anywhere from 5% to 25% of SNAP benefit amounts and increase the state share of administrative costs from 50% to 75%, which would hobble the program’s ability to meet increased need during times of natural disaster and economic crisis. 

Together, these measures would lead to a decrease in benefit levels, fewer people eligible for food assistance, and a significant reduction in the number of people participating in the program. 

“The proposed SNAP cuts are of an unprecedented scale that food banks could never compensate for,” said Theresa Mangapora, Brazos Valley Food Bank Executive Director and Feeding Texas Board Chair. “Over the past year, food banks have witnessed a demand for food assistance that we have not seen since the height of the pandemic. If these cuts move forward, many more Texans will face hunger, and the most vulnerable among us—children, seniors, veterans, and working families just trying to get by—will bear the brunt of this hardship.” 

The most devastating aspect of the proposal is a state cost-share plan that could require Texas to pay anywhere from 5% to 25% of the food benefits and increase the state’s administrative costs from 50% to 75%, or make cuts to the program to account for that amount. In FY2024, states issued nearly $94 billion for SNAP food benefits, including $7.2 billion in Texas. If this policy were to go into effect now, Feeding Texas estimates that Texas would be responsible for covering around $1.08 billion per year in food benefits. Using FY2023 SNAP administrative costs, Feeding Texas estimates that an increase from 50% to 75% would cost the state an additional $87 million per year. That comes out to $1.167 billion a year or nearly $2.334 billion per biennium that the Texas Legislature would have to front in order to keep the program whole. 

States must balance their budgets annually, so any additional costs would require increasing revenue by raising taxes or cutting other programs. There is no guarantee that Texas would be able to make up this funding gap every year in perpetuity or that state legislators would be willing to allocate such a large portion of the state budget to cover SNAP benefits, which have always been covered by the federal government. State legislators could be forced to make unpopular decisions and take away some or all of people’s food assistance, leaving many low-income households unable to afford groceries.  

“SNAP is not just an anti-hunger program. It is an economic program designed to combat recessions by stabilizing family budgets, food retailers, and the farm economy alike,” Cole said. “Offloading the cost of SNAP onto states would fundamentally alter the structure of the program, undermine its stabilizing effect, and erode its ability to guarantee a basic need during natural and economic disasters. At times when Americans are most likely to need SNAP, states would be least equipped to pay for the increase in need. This is why it’s so important for the benefits to remain federally funded. It’s not fair to ask state legislatures struggling during tough economic times to make up the gap or take the blame for increasing hunger.”  

According to the USDA, SNAP is a key countercyclical government assistance program. As an entitlement program with means-tested benefits, SNAP provides more aid to low-income households during economic downturns and less during expansions, acting as an automatic economic stabilizer. Historically, SNAP spending and participation rates rise and fall in sync with unemployment and poverty rates. 

Rising prices and slower economic growth have led JP Morgan analysts to predict a 60% chance of a recession within the year. 

Nearly 900,000 additional people could be pushed into poverty during a recession by the SNAP cost-sharing plan, according to the Urban Institute. 

“Now is not the time to take food away from seniors, children, veterans, and working families. For over 50 years, SNAP has helped American families put food on the table during tough times,” Cole said. “If this plan moves forward, hundreds of thousands of Americans could be pushed into poverty and face hunger. By lowering benefit amounts, kicking people off the program, and expecting states to empty their coffers, Congress would be effectively turning its back on Americans when they are most vulnerable. This is a pivotal moment for our country, for our elected leaders, and for everyone who shares the belief that no person should go hungry. We must all come together to prevent this harm.” 

The Feeding Texas network is made up of 20 food banks, over 3,000 local partners, most of them faith-based, and countless volunteers. Together with our staff, our partners, and our volunteers, we call on members of the House Agriculture Committee and all members of the U.S. House to reject these proposed SNAP cuts, including the disastrous state cost-share plan.  

Food banks across the state provided the following statements:

Brazos Valley Food Bank 

“Though food banks are accustomed to managing crises and disasters that push our limits, these SNAP cuts cannot be made up by charity,” said Theresa Mangapora, Brazos Valley Food Bank Executive Director and Feeding Texas Board Chair. “For every meal that food banks provide, SNAP provides nine. At a time when we are facing heightened need and fewer resources, food banks will not be able to do ten times more to fill the gap, and people will suffer.” 

Counties served: Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson, and Washington 

Central Texas Food Bank 

“The Central Texas Food Bank knows that reductions to SNAP result in increased reliance on our services,” said Sari Vatske, President and CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank. “When families can’t adequately supplement their household food budgets through federal nutrition programs like SNAP, they turn to food banks. Food banks alone cannot respond to increases in food insecurity without the support of our federal partners. It’s critical that lawmakers continue to fund SNAP and bolster commodity programs like TEFAP to ensure that families and food banks can withstand a fluctuating economic landscape.”

Counties served: Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Coryell, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Gillespie, Hays, Lampasas, Lee, Limestone, Llano, Mclennan, Milam, Mills, San Saba, Travis, and Williamson 

Coastal Bend Food Bank 

“Cutting SNAP benefits would be devastating for our neighbors in the Coastal Bend. This program is a vital lifeline for families, seniors, veterans, and children—those most vulnerable to hunger,” said Bea Hanson, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Food Bank. “At the Coastal Bend Food Bank, we’ve seen how SNAP helps fill the gap and sustain those in need. Reducing this support would deeply impact our neighbors, causing greater hardship for those already struggling to make ends meet. We urge policymakers to reconsider these cuts and stand with the communities who rely on SNAP to survive. Protecting this program means protecting people.”

Counties served: Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Mcmullen, Nueces, and San Patricio 

East Texas Food Bank 

“Proposed cuts to SNAP will only worsen food insecurity in our region, which already experiences a higher level of food insecurity than the state average,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “SNAP plays an essential role in supporting vulnerable communities, especially in rural areas like East Texas. Any reduction in this vital program will place even greater strain on those already facing hardship, and it will hurt the economic stability of our entire region. When families are forced to cut back on food, they spend less in local businesses, affecting the broader economy and slowing recovery. We urge policymakers to prioritize solutions to hunger that protect and strengthen SNAP, ensuring no one is forced to choose between food and other basic needs.”

Counties served: Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Leon, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood 

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank 

“At El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, we witness firsthand how essential SNAP is for our neighbors,” said Susan Gooddell, CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank. “Working families, veterans, seniors, and children depend on this support to get through difficult times. These proposed cuts would place an overwhelming burden on communities already stretched thin and force impossible choices no one should have to make. While food banks remain committed to doing everything we can, we cannot replace the scale or impact of federal food assistance. We urge Congress to reject this plan and reaffirm its commitment to ensuring that no American goes hungry. Not today. Not tomorrow. Together, we must protect SNAP.” 

Counties served: Culberson, El Paso, and Hudspeth

Food Bank of the Golden Crescent 

“If enacted, these changes would have devastating consequences for families in our 11-county service area—reducing access to critical nutrition support, forcing more seniors to choose between work and food, and undermining our ability to respond during crises,” said Robin Cadle, CEO of the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent. “At a time when hunger is already rising, this would push even more of our neighbors into food insecurity.”

Counties served: Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, and Wharton

Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley 

“Families in the Rio Grande Valley will feel these cuts the most,” said Libby Saenz, CEO of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. “SNAP is a lifeline for families, especially in rural and underserved communities where access to affordable food is already limited. These proposed cuts would not only take food off the table but also dismantle local economies and destabilize Texan households during hard times.”

Counties served: Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy

Food Bank of West Central Texas

“The SNAP program has remained a tried and tested form of food assistance for years,” said Brandon Forrest, CEO of the Food Bank of West Central Texas. “At a time of great need, $230 billion in cuts and a fundamental change in funding will place undue hardship on seniors, veterans, and families in Texas who are already struggling to make ends meet.”

Counties served: Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, Fisher, Jones, Mitchell, Nolan, Runnels, Shackelford, Stephens, and Taylor

Galveston County Food Bank

“SNAP is a critical component of our nation’s fight against hunger,” said Donnie VanAckeren, President and CEO of the Galveston County Food Bank. “It ensures that working families, seniors, and children have consistent access to nutritious food, while also easing the burden on food banks and stimulating local economies through support of neighborhood retailers. At the Galveston County Food Bank, we rely heavily on the generosity of donors and community partners to meet growing needs. Any further reductions to SNAP would place an even greater strain on already limited resources, making it harder to serve our neighbors facing food insecurity.”

Counties served: Galveston

High Plains Food Bank 

“SNAP is a vital safeguard in helping prevent food insecurity,” said Zack Wilson, Executive Director of High Plains Food Bank. “High Plains Food Bank relies on a collaboration of food distribution and SNAP and our neighbors need all the resources they can receive to make ends meet with increased costs in food, fuel, utilities, and insurance. Proposed cuts to the SNAP program would result in more of our families and seniors seeking assistance in the Texas Panhandle.”

Counties served: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hale, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, and Wheeler

Houston Food Bank 

“Cuts to SNAP will not just hurt those in deep need, they will also impact hard-working, middle-class families who are already stretched thin trying to make ends meet,” said Brian Greene, President and CEO of Houston Food Bank. “For decades now, SNAP has been the most powerful tool America has to support families facing hunger while also assisting our farmers. SNAP has a greater return on investment than any other – these dollars not only supplement food budgets, they are spent and reinvested back into local economies, provide exponentially more meals than a food bank alone, and ensure consistent nutrition to beneficiaries. Food banks are united in our plea to protect SNAP.”

Counties served: Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Liberty, Madison, Montgomery, Waller, Washington, Robertson, San Jacinto, Trinity

Montgomery County Food Bank 

“Montgomery County is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., and we’ve seen the need for food assistance grow with it,” said Kristine Marlow, President and CEO of Montgomery County Food Bank. “Prioritizing the support of hunger relief programs helps families struggling to afford the very basic need of nutritious food, while also reducing the strain on food banks that are already stretched thin.” 

Counties served: Montgomery 

North Texas Food Bank 

“Every day in our community, nearly 700,000 of our neighbors face hunger, and heartbreakingly, almost a third of them are children,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of North Texas Food Bank. “About half of those we serve are eligible for SNAP, a program that offers dignity, hope, and a path to stability for those needing food assistance. Cuts to SNAP would deeply harm families who are already struggling to make ends meet. This program is not just a lifeline for individuals — it’s an investment in the strength and well-being of our entire community. When that lifeline is weakened, local food banks like the North Texas Food Bank are called to do more with less, but we simply cannot fill a gap that large alone. These potential cuts risk unraveling the already fragile support systems so many depend on — and that’s something none of us should accept.”

Counties served: Dallas, Collin, Fannin, Rockwall, Hunt, Grayson, Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Lamar, Delta, and Hopkins

San Antonio Food Bank 

“As food banks we operate with fiscal efficiencies so I appreciate the efforts to balance a budget,” said Eric Cooper, CEO of San Antonio Food Bank. “I just pray Congress will value the importance of a balanced meal.  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps to balance meals in households where children are hungry or a senior is needing to take their medicine with a meal.” 

Counties served: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Coke, Comal, Concho, Crockett, Edwards, Frio, Guadalupe, Irion, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, Mcculloch, Mason, Medina, Menard, Reagan, Real, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, Tom Green, Uvalde, Wilson, and Zavala

South Plains Food Bank 

“We need to keep working to reduce waste and abuse in Medicaid and SNAP, but these cuts are a bad idea,” said Dina Jeffries, CEO of South Plains Food Bank. “Taking away affordable health care and food from working families, senior citizens, children, and veterans in the South Plains is detrimental to the communities we serve. Texans continue to struggle with high food and medical costs and now is not the time to cut these life-saving programs. South Plains Food Bank stands united with other Texas food banks because we know when food insecurity decreases, communities begin to thrive.”

Counties served: Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Hale, Hockley, Kent, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Scurry, Stonewall, Terry, and Yoakum

South Texas Food Bank

“SNAP plays a vital role in ensuring that our most vulnerable community members, including low-income families with children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities, have access to nutritious food, and any cuts to this program could severely jeopardize their long-term health and well-being,” said Alma Boubel, CEO of South Texas Food Bank. “We are deeply concerned that food insecure individuals in our service area, particularly the elderly, cannot withstand any further reductions to this program.”

Counties served: Dimmit, Jim Hogg, Kinney, Maverick, Starr, Val Verde, Webb, and Zapata

Southeast Texas Food Bank

“We are deeply concerned here in Southeast Texas with Congress’s proposed budget cuts, especially within SNAP benefits,” said Harvey Zernial, President & CEO of Southeast Texas Food Bank. “Our area – with already higher averages for food insecurity in Texas (19.6% overall but highest child food insecurity in the nation at 29.8%) and unemployment (4th highest area) coupled with lower household incomes (20K below state average) – will struggle to make ends meet for their families. With the cuts already made to some of the food programs, the demand for food resources will continue to rise. There would be no way possible for the food banks to fill the gaps created by a $230 billion cut to SNAP funding, the largest food supplement program.” 

Counties served: Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, and Tyler

Tarrant Area Food Bank

“SNAP is a proven part of our national strategy to reduce hunger. It helps keep groceries on the table for working families, older adults, and children, while easing pressure on food banks and supporting local retailers—especially in our rural communities,” said Julie Butner, President and CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank. “Much of our hunger relief work depends on support from donors and neighbors; additional reductions would further strain already limited local resources.”

Counties served: Bosque, Cooke, Denton, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise

West Texas Food Bank 

“The West Texas Food Bank serves some of the most rural counties in the state, and rural Texans already struggle to access affordable and nutritious food,” said Libby Stephens, CEO of West Texas Food Bank. “Food banks cannot be expected to make up for cuts of this magnitude to federal food assistance programs.”

Counties served: Andrews, Borden, Brewster, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Glasscock, Howard, Jeff Davis, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, and Winkler

Wichita Falls Area Food Bank 

“The proposed SNAP cuts will dramatically impact children, families, and seniors on fixed incomes who already struggle with hunger by taking away access to food and placing an insurmountable burden on states and already stretched social service networks,” said David O’Neil, CEO of Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. 

Counties served: Archer, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Haskell, Jack, Knox, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young