TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The number of people on food stamps has dropped to a 17-year low, according to the Center on Budget and policy Priorities.
“The Big Beautiful Bill is the primary factor in this. It’s made it more difficult for people to qualify,” said economist Dr. Ray Perryman. “There’s been a lot stricter enforcement on states getting their compliance percentages up and that sort of thing, and the end result has been a lot more paperwork, and that’s slowed things down.”
According to Texas Health and Human Services, 2.8 million Texans were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as of September, representing a decrease of over 450,000 people since the beginning of the year.
“There’s still a lot of people that need this aid,” added Perryman.
Proponents of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act argue the legislation cuts back on government spending.
Food pantries such as PATH in Tyler aim to help folks in need.
“We typically see about 150 families every day walk through our door for some kind of assistance,” said the non-profit’s executive director Andrea Lobaugh.
Perryman said hunger can have a profound impact, especially on kids.
“It affects their learning capacity, it affects their earnings throughout their lives, it affects their health, it even affects their life expectancy,” Perryman said.
The decrease in the amount of people enrolled in food stamps comes as many are struggling with rising costs on items such as fuel.
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