The nation’s largest food aid program will soon face cuts. Here’s what you need to know.

The Trump administration’s overhaul of the nation’s largest food assistance program will result in millions of people losing benefits, straining state budgets and putting pressure on the nation’s food supply chain, all of which will likely hinder the administration’s Make America Healthy Again goals, according to researchers and former federal officials.

Permanent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are coming, regardless of the outcome of at least two federal lawsuits that seek to prevent the government from cutting off November SNAP benefits. The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s refusal to release emergency funds to maintain the program during the government shutdown.

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the government to use those funds to continue SNAP. A Massachusetts judge in a separate lawsuit also said the government must use its emergency food assistance funds to pay for SNAP, but gave the Trump administration until Nov. 3 to come up with a plan.

Faced with this uncertainty, food banks across the United States braced for a surge in demand that threatened to cut off millions of people from the food program that helps them buy groceries.

On October 28, a van filled with SpaghettiOs, tuna and other food items arrived at the Gateway Food Pantry in Arnold, Missouri. This may be Gateway’s last shipment for a while. Pantry south of St. Louis primarily serves families with school-age children, but has already exhausted its annual food budget due to a surge in demand, said executive director Patrick McKelvey.

New Disabled South, a Georgia-based nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities, announced it is offering one-time payments of $100 to $250 to individuals and families who are expected to lose SNAP benefits in the 14 states it serves.

Less than 48 hours later, the nonprofit received more than 16,000 applications totaling $3.6 million, mostly from families, far more than the organization was able to fund.

“It’s unreal,” said co-founder Dom Kelly.

The threat of phasing out SNAP funding is a preview of what’s to come when changes to the program included in the One Big Beautiful Act signed by President Donald Trump in July go into effect.

National tax and spending laws will reduce SNAP by $187 billion over the next decade. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this represents a nearly 20% reduction from current funding levels.

The new rules shift many food and administrative costs to states, which could prompt some to consider withdrawing from a program that helped about 42 million people shop for groceries last year. Separate from the new law, the administration is also pushing states to restrict SNAP purchases by banning things like candy and soda.

All of this “puts us in uncharted territory for SNAP,” said Cindy Long, a former deputy undersecretary at the Department of Agriculture and now national counsel at the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

The country’s first food stamps were issued at the end of the Great Depression, when poor people could not afford farmers’ products. Today, instead of stamps, recipients use debit cards. However, the program continues to reassure farmers and food retailers and prevent hunger during the economic downturn.

CBO estimates that approximately 3 million people will lose food aid as a result of several provisions of the budget bill, including: imposing work obligations on more people and passing on a larger part of the costs to the states. Trump administration leaders have supported the changes as a way to reduce waste, put more people to work and improve health.

This is the largest cut to SNAP in its history, made against the backdrop of rising food prices and a fragile labor market.

The exact toll of the cuts will be difficult to measure because the Trump administration has finished releasing an annual report measuring food insecurity.

Here are five big changes coming to SNAP and what they mean for Americans’ health:

1. Want nutritional benefits? They will be harder to get.

Under the new law, people will have to submit more paperwork to access SNAP benefits.

Many beneficiaries are already required to work, volunteer or participate in other qualifying activities for 80 hours a month to receive money on their benefits cards. The new law expands these requirements to previously exempt groups, including homeless people, veterans and young people who have been in foster care since they turned 18. The expanded work requirements also apply to parents with children aged 14 or older and adults aged 55 to 64.

Starting November 1, if recipients do not provide proof of eligibility each month, they will be able to receive SNAP benefits for three months over a three-year period.

“It’s a draconian approach,” said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group. A December Urban Institute study found that about 1 in 8 adults reported losing SNAP benefits because of filing problems.

Under the new law, some refugees, asylum seekers and other legal immigrants will be excluded from SNAP altogether.

2. Countries will have to contribute more money and resources.

The federal law dramatically increases the amount each state will have to pay to maintain the program.

Until now, states had to cover only half of the administrative costs and none of the food costs, with the federal government covering the rest.

Under the new law, states are charged 75% of administrative costs and must cover part of the food costs. This represents an estimated average cost increase across states of more than 200%, according to a report by the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality.

A KFF Health News analysis shows that a single funding change related to food costs could expose states to an additional $11 billion.

All states participate in SNAP but can opt out. In June, nearly two dozen Democratic governors wrote to congressional leaders warning that some states would not be able to come up with the money to continue the program.

“If states are forced to end SNAP programs, hunger and poverty will increase, children and adults will get sick, rural grocery stores will struggle to stay open, people who work in agriculture and the food industry will lose their jobs, and state and local economies will suffer,” the governors wrote.

3. Will the changes lead to healthier eating?

The Trump administration, through its “Make America Healthy Again” platform, has made healthy eating a priority.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocated restrictions on purchases of soda and candy under the food assistance program. To date, 12 states have received approval to limit what people can buy with SNAP dollars.

According to a 2007 USDA report, federal officials blocked such restrictions because they were difficult for states and stores to implement and deepened the stigma around SNAP. In 2018, the first Trump administration rejected Maine’s efforts to ban sugar-sweetened drinks and candy.

A store may decide it’s not worth participating in the program and opt out, leaving SNAP recipients with fewer places to shop.

According to the USDA, people who receive SNAP don’t buy sweets or salty snacks more often than people who shop without the benefit. Research shows that encouraging healthy food choices is more effective than regulating purchases.

When people have less money to spend on food, they often turn to cheaper, unhealthy alternatives that keep them full for longer, rather than paying for more expensive food that is healthy and fresh but perishes quickly.

4. How will SNAP cuts affect health?

Organizations working to end hunger in the country say the cuts will have long-term health effects.

Studies have shown that children from families with limited access to food are more likely to suffer from mental disorders. Likewise, food insecurity is associated with lower math and reading skills.

Working-age people struggling with food insecurity are at increased risk of chronic disease. This long list includes high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

These health problems come at a cost to individuals. Low-income adults who are not covered by SNAP spend, on average, $1,400 more per year on health care than those covered by SNAP.

In 2023, approximately 47 million people lived in households with limited or insecure access to food.

5. What does this mean for the national food supply chain?

SNAP spending directly supports grocery stores, their suppliers, and the transportation and agriculture industries. Additionally, when low-income households have easier access to food, they are more likely to spend money on other needs, such as prescriptions or car repairs. All of this means that, according to the USDA, every dollar spent in SNAP generates at least $1.50 in economic activity.

A report by associations representing convenience stores, grocery stores and the food industry estimated that it could cost grocery stores $1.6 billion to comply with the new SNAP restrictions.

Supporters warn that stores could pass the costs on to shoppers or face closure.