Thousands of Utahns could lose food assistance under Trump's megabill
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Around 12,000 Utahns are at risk of losing at least some food assistance due to President Trump's newly signed "big, beautiful bill," per estimates from the left-leaning Center on Policy and Budget Priorities.
Why it matters: It's a historic cut to the social safety net, which Republicans claim will weed out waste, fraud and abuse. But experts warn the move could leave more people hungry and uninsured.
The big picture: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), often called food stamps, helps low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities buy groceries.
By the numbers: Nearly 179,000 Utahns — more than 5% of the state — were enrolled in SNAP as of March 2025, per federal data.
- More than half of Utah's SNAP households have children, Feeding America figures show.
Zoom in: Utah's entire congressional delegation backed Trump's bill, including the SNAP cuts.
How it works: Trump's law doesn't just slash funding — it rewrites the rules.
- Parents of children 14 and older must now work at least 20 hours a week to keep benefits.
- The new policy also bumps the work requirement age up to 64. It was 54.
What they're saying: The work requirements "help transition people from welfare dependence to financial independence," Utah's four representatives — all Republicans — wrote in the Deseret News.
- "We're also requiring states to share more of the SNAP benefit costs, creating better accountability," they wrote.
The other side: Anti-hunger advocates criticized the new work requirements, especially for homeless people, veterans and young adults who recently were in foster care — groups that previously were exempt.
- "These are the groups that ultimately need a lot of those benefits, that versatility, that ability to just shop where you would normally shop rather than having to add something new to your routine," Utahns Against Hunger's Neil Rickard told KSL-TV.