{"id":287137,"date":"2026-05-26T09:43:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/?p=287137"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:17:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:17:30","slug":"mobility-monitor-millions-lost-food-assistance-as-cost-of-living-climbs-increasing-risks-to-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/mobility-monitor-millions-lost-food-assistance-as-cost-of-living-climbs-increasing-risks-to-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobility Monitor: Millions Lost Food Assistance as Cost of Living Climbs, Increasing Risks to Consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past year, the social safety net has changed drastically. Changes led by the White House and passed by Congress stripped away critical support people rely on, all in order to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Simultaneously, the broader economic picture is only getting worse for most Americans. Each year, more and more people find themselves brushing up against financial precarity at the very same time as federal regulators roll back consumer and worker protections at a historic scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most troubling developments in recent months has been the rapid decline in the number of households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Based on the US Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) most recent data, the number of households enrolled in SNAP has declined by nearly 2 million, which means that roughly 4.1 million are no longer receiving the support they had a year ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This steady decline in enrollment is shown in the figure below:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"datawrapper-chart-1xok4\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" title=\"Households Receiving SNAP Benefits (FY24-Present)\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/1xok4\/2\/\" height=\"472\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Line chart\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">(function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Previous research from the USDA shows that 79% of households participating in SNAP include at least one person who is a child, elderly adult or person with a disability. This translates to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/data-research\/data-visualization\/snap\/action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more than two thirds<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the individuals receiving SNAP benefits. As enrollment drops, the most vulnerable members in society are at the greatest risk of losing support to put food on the table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/trump-food-stamp-cuts-children-arizona-hungry-big-beautiful-bill-rcna343922\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reporting from<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> NBC News<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> illustrates this reality for families in Arizona, which has seen a near 50% drop in enrollment since July 2025, when the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was signed into law. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalgovernmenthub.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/The-Experience-of-Administrative-Burdens-in-SNAP-and-Medicaid_-Ne.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Administrative \u201csludge\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has long been a major component of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/20060718_PovOp.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">costs of poverty<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that many people experience when navigating the public benefits system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result of the OBBBA, those problems are getting worse for people like Tiffany Hudson (profiled in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NBC News<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> article) who have faced a new wave of restrictions and hurdles preventing them from even proving they are eligible for benefits. Across the country, every state except for Alaska and Hawaii saw a decrease in year-over-year enrollment, marking a concerning nationwide pattern resulting directly from the changes made last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below is the percentage change in SNAP enrollment for every state from January 2025 to January 2026:.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"datawrapper-chart-45Wsb\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" title=\"Most States Lost SNAP Participants to Varying Degrees\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/45Wsb\/2\/\" height=\"1364\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Bar Chart\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">(function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amidst the withdrawal of federal support, the cost of food and other basic necessities is climbing. According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/pdf\/cpi.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u2019 (BLS) latest estimates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, prices across the board went up 3.8% in April compared to last year, largely driven by spiking gasoline prices that have risen 28.4% over the past 12 months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Food prices are also rising. In April alone, the price for meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased 1.3%, beef prices rose 2% and prices for fruits and vegetables increased 1.8%. Over the past year, prices for eating at home has gone up 2.9% and dining out has increased 3.6%, demonstrating the declining affordability of the most basic necessities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the continued effects of the OBBBA and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/07\/trade-court-rules-trumps-replacement-tariffs-illegal-00910828\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">illegal tariffs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/the-war-in-iran-will-raise-fuel-prices-and-costs-throughout-the-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unresolved conflict with Iran<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, working people are bearing the brunt of federal policy choices. Preliminary results from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/data.sca.isr.umich.edu\/fetchdoc.php?docid=80946\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the University of Michigan\u2019s Survey of Consumers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggest that the war with Iran has weighed especially hard on consumers\u2019 personal finances and overall economic outlook.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer sentiment overall dropped 11% in April, extending a decline that began with the start of the Iran conflict. About 54% of consumers surveyed mentioned that high prices were eroding their personal finances, up from 47% last month and 38% a year ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Congressional Democrats have made several attempts to ease the burden of food prices on everyday Americans. Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/omar.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/news-sanders-omar-more-100-colleagues-introduce-legislation-end-child-hunger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">introduced legislation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to create a universal school meals program that would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack to every student in America regardless of their family\u2019s income. Nearly 40% of SNAP recipients are 18 or younger, making the need for this program more critical than ever as children are especially at risk of losing access to benefits.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rep. Frank Pallone, the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pallone.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/pallone-launches-surveillance-pricing-inquiry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced a new inquiry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> into corporate surveillance pricing \u2013 a practice where companies use the personal data of consumers to charge different prices for the same goods. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/groundworkcollaborative.org\/work\/instacart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from Groundwork Collaborative, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer Reports<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More Perfect Union<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has shown how companies like Instacart experiment with prices, charging consumers completely different prices for the exact same products to drive up their profit margins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Federal Trade Commission <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/public_statements\/1600629\/p210100stoppingcovid19fraudpricegougingtestimony.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">previously testified<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation about the rise of fraud and price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also released initial<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2025\/01\/ftc-surveillance-pricing-study-indicates-wide-range-personal-data-used-set-individualized-consumer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> findings from a market study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on surveillance pricing, revealing details as granular as cell phone location and browser history are frequently used to target consumers with different prices for the same goods.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This much is clear from these reports: there are many who relish the opportunity to take advantage of others during moments of uncertainty and desperation and will go to great lengths to squeeze people for every last penny. With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/a-win-for-consumers-federal-judge-rules-administration-must-fund-the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">effectively sidelined<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the Trump administration, those threats to consumers are heightened right now for some of the most vulnerable members of society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As foreign conflicts drag on and the implications of<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/federal-budget\/a-record-of-historic-harm-in-the-first-year-of-trumps-second-term\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this administration\u2019s actions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> continue to actualize over the coming months, the stakes could not be higher. People across the nation are going hungry, losing access to health care, struggling to fill their gas tanks and pay rising electricity bills. By all accounts, the chance of realizing economic mobility and building a secure financial future is looking increasingly out of reach, exposing people to exploitation and coercion amidst an uncertain financial future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Simon Wang is the Economic Mobility Project Specialist with NCRC&#8217;s Economic Mobility team.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@tara-clark-89384110\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tara Clark<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/a-person-holding-a-basket-9070106\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pexels<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the past year, the social safety net has changed drastically. Changes led by the White House and passed by Congress stripped away critical support people rely on, all in order to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Simultaneously, the broader economic picture is only getting worse for most Americans. Each year, more 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Wang","author_link":""},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Over the past year, the social safety net has changed drastically. Changes led by the White House and passed by Congress stripped away critical support people rely on, all in order to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Simultaneously, the broader economic picture is only getting worse for most Americans. Each year, more&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}