Texas SNAP enrollment hits 17-year low

SNAP enrollment in Texas has fallen to 2.8 million people as of September, marking the lowest level since August 2009. This represents a 20.8% year-over-year decline, the steepest drop in two decades.

Experts attribute the decline to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which introduced stricter work requirements for eligibility and penalizes states for high error rates in benefit distribution.

In addition to tightening eligibility, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is facing significant processing delays. The agency processed only 64% of SNAP applications within the required 30-day window in September, down from 91% the previous year. This falls well below the federal requirement of 95%, a threshold that, if not met, puts state funding at risk.

Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, noted that the decline in enrollment does not reflect a decrease in need, stating that communities are experiencing record-high demand for food assistance despite the lower participation numbers.