SNAP changes may cut food aid for 25,000 Arkansans
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SNAP is back, but new federal rules mean an estimated 25,000 Arkansans may lose their food benefits, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families policy director Christin Harper told Axios.
Why it matters: The changes will likely hit Arkansas worse than most other states because it already has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, Harper said.
State of play: A piece of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to go into effect Dec. 1. It will eliminate some of the exceptions to work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, including for young adults who have aged out of foster care, veterans and unhoused people. Those who previously did not have to meet the typical 80-hours-per-month work requirement will have three months to meet it or lose their benefits, Harper explained.
- The legislation also removes some documented immigrants from being eligible, including refugees and asylees.
The big picture: More changes are coming over the next few years. Starting in October 2026, states will be responsible for 75% of the program's administrative costs, up from 50%. That will likely cost Arkansas an additional $23 million a year, Harper said.
- Later, states may also have to pay up to 15% of SNAP benefits.
- All benefits in Arkansas are federally funded, and the state receives about $41 million a month for SNAP, Arkansas Department of Human Services spokesperson Gavin Lesnick told Axios.
What they're saying: "SNAP is the most powerful anti-hunger tool we have," Harper said.
- These additional costs on states have advocates concerned that higher eligibility standards will result in fewer benefits or cutting SNAP altogether.
- Losing SNAP dollars can have a broader impact on the economy and can even raise grocery prices for everyone, Harper said. About 2,700 retailers in Arkansas accept SNAP, and grocery stores in rural areas depend on that money to stay open and pay employees.
Catch up quick: November SNAP benefits were delayed because of the federal government shutdown. All delayed Arkansas benefits were issued after the government reopened, Lesnick confirmed to Axios.
By the numbers: About 244,000 people in Arkansas receive SNAP, including nearly 100,000 people under 18 and almost 40,000 people 60 or older, according to data from the Arkansas DHS.
- Some people who qualify for SNAP are not on the program for various reasons, including not knowing it exists, thinking others need it more than they do, or having problems navigating the application process, Lindsey Russell, the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank's SNAP and senior nutrition programs manager, told Axios.
- Some seniors qualify for only $24 a month and don't go through the process for the benefits, she said. The process can require significant documentation plus an interview with DHS and can take weeks before recipients see their benefits.
Threat level: The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank took a hit while people were without SNAP and is heading into the holiday season, when it typically sees more need, food bank vice president and chief strategy officer Taylor Speegle told Axios. The organization still needs donations.
Flashback: During the government shutdown, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders approved $500,000 from the state's reserve funds to be spread equally among six food banks, including the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. She later directed a second $500,000 installment to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
- The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank received about $43,000 from the second installment, in addition to the original payment of about $83,000, Speegle said.
- "We have definitely spent all that money and then some," he told Axios on Friday.