The use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has been rapidly increasing over the past 25 years. Since 2000, SNAP participation has more than doubled, growing from 17 million to 42 million participants, according to data published by the American Enterprise Institute.
Now, the program is seeing massive reform. The USDA is cracking down on illegally awarded benefits and revoking food stamp access for many users, changing the level of access for low-income consumers.
Federal funding for SNAP continues to decrease
At the same time that participation is increasing, the amount of federal funding to support SNAP is decreasing. In fiscal year 2025, the federal government spent $101.7 billion on SNAP.
This continues the trend of a drop in funding since 2021, when the government spent $135.8 billion on SNAP, according to data released by USAFacts. Part of the reason for the drop is because of changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic that were later reversed.
Decreases in funding are felt on the individual level too. In fiscal year 2025, the average SNAP participant received $188 in monthly benefits, down from $259 per person in 2021.
Further changes to funding are coming soon, due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will require states to cover up to 15% of SNAP costs starting in 2028.
Brooke Rollins is the leading figure in SNAP reform
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has been vocal about wanted to crack down on fraud in the use of SNAP benefits. Rollins reports finding 355,000 people receiving double benefits, and 186,000 dead people receiving benefits.
“Under @POTUS, THE FRAUD ENDS NOW,” Rollins said in a post on X.
In the past year, 4.3 million people have been moved off SNAP, Rollins said.
“This idea that once a government program is in place you can never roll it back — President Trump has proven that to be wrong,” Rollins told Rob Finnerty in an interview with Newsmax.
… but Rollins isn’t alone
Rollins is working with the USDA and others within the Trump administration on this issue.
“Together with @VP and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, we’re protecting the American taxpayer and those most in need,” Rollins said on X.
Vice President JD Vance spoke on the issue at a campaign event in Iowa on May 5.
“We have let fraud become so rampant in this country that people were able to get rich not by creating something amazing, not by employing something, not by building something beautiful with their hands — they were able to get rich by defrauding every single person in this room,” Vance said.
Vance said action was being taken against those convicted of illegally receiving SNAP benefits. Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested for fraudulent use.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, when we find crime, those people are going to go to prison for defrauding you because that’s exactly how it should be,” Vance said.
SNAP reforms include the list of food items available
In addition to cracking down on fraud, the USDA is implementing new guidelines for SNAP retailers.
“Now the next step is to make sure we’ve got real nutritious food on the shelves of the stores that are taking the food stamp,” Rollins said in an interview with Fox News.
The new guidelines require SNAP retail stores to carry seven varieties of items across four staple food categories: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy and protein.
“This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more whole foods, increases the perishable food requirements, and eliminates loopholes that for too long have allowed retailers to count certain snack foods toward their staple food requirements,” USDA said in a press release.
Reform is followed by resistance
The updates to SNAP retailer guidelines are set to go into effect in the fall of this year, but these changes have prompted some backlash.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice and Shinder Cantor Lerner are suing the Trump administration, saying the administration did not provide adequate notice to allow for public approval, as required in the Administrative Procedure Act.
“SNAP is a critical lifeline for millions of families and households, and Congress has established clear guardrails for how the program must operate across the country,” said Jeffrey Shinder, founding partner at Shinder Cantor Lerner, in a press release. “The USDA is attempting to bypass those strict guardrails by empowering states to curtail access to SNAP in ways that will create significant hardship on recipients and retailers. We urge the Court to halt this attack on SNAP, which threatens millions of individuals’ access to essential food assistance nationwide.”
The Food Research & Action Center released a press statement supporting the lawsuit. “We commend these organization for taking legal action to protect the dignity of the tens of millions of people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table,” the statement said.
Rollins said she’ll move forward with reforms
Rollins reacted to the lawsuit in her interview with Newsmax.
“The silliness of it all continues to make the case to all of America how important it is that we get our arms around these massive government welfare programs,” she said. “We’re going to help those who truly need it — who need it the most — and everyone else, we’re going to move off these programs.”
Rollins added that she plans on continuing this movement, saying, “We’re really proud of the work and we’re not slowing down.”
Vance expressed a similar sentiment in a post on X.
“This new DOJ strike force is another example of this Administration’s commitment to rooting out fraud, no matter how big or how small,” he said. “Our efforts to find and prosecute fraudsters and their enablers will not stop.”