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Cars line up outside a food pantry in North Carolina, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Consumers are facing price pressures as the costs of groceries<\/a> and gas<\/a> rise. The pace of inflation is expected to increase<\/a> in the coming months, according to the Survey of Professional Forecasters, a quarterly macroeconomic survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there has been a \u201cremarkable increase in food insecurity,\u201d the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said<\/a> in a recent blog post, as people cope with higher costs and the loss of federal aid.<\/p>\n A new analysis shows that nationwide almost 9% of individuals \u2014 more than 3.5 million \u2014 who were beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/a>, which provides food benefits to low-income families, lost those benefits between July, when President Donald Trump signed his \u201cbig beautiful bill\u201d into law, and February. The analysis was conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities<\/a>, a nonpartisan research and policy institute. <\/p>\n That legislation included more stringent rules to qualify for SNAP, particularly regarding work requirements. In addition, the law shifted some administrative and cost responsibilities to states. Ahead of the law\u2019s passage, proponents said the changes to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, would reduce waste<\/a> and provide accountability.<\/p>\n Almost 42 million people nationwide received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2025, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Agriculture<\/a>.<\/p>\n As states implement the changes, some are already experiencing dramatic declines in SNAP participation, according to CBPP, which used data from the Department of Agriculture and state programs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n