Food Insecurity Soars in the US as GOP Celebrates SNAP Cuts

Earlier this month, Donald Trump bragged that his administration had “lifted” five million people off food stamps. That’s akin to the president boasting that he has “nearly eliminated” emissions from maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Because, while it is true that fewer people now get benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that tens of millions of Americans rely on, the real reason is not that they no longer need help; it’s that the administration, in concert with Republicans in Congress, have slashed funding for SNAP and imposed new restrictions on who is eligible.

And these cuts and changes, along with the economic malaise that Trump’s own policies have caused, are having a profound effect.

Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report showing that more and more Americans are struggling to put food on their tables — even compared to just a few months ago.

“We find a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children,” the economists stated.

Specifically, this means that more people skipped meals, had trouble finding food, or were forced to dip into their savings to eat.

And these problems are accelerating.

“[Even] between October 2025 and February 2026, there have been meaningful increases in the shares of households” reporting that they had experienced these hardships, the experts of the Fed noted.

The growing food insecurity, and the fact that lower-income Americans are disproportionally feeling the effects of the surging inflation caused by Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran, are one of the reasons why consumer confidence is at an all-time low, they state.

That stands in contrast to what the administration wants people to believe, which is that this is all driven by politics.

On Sunday, Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said, “We should stop calling it consumer sentiment and start calling it political sentiment, because it’s really a political variable.”

To the experts at the Fed, the data is further proof that the US is experiencing a “K-shaped” economy, which really just means that those at the top are doing well and are experiencing greater prosperity thanks to higher stock prices, while those at the bottom are struggling.

Of course, that is a highly misleading visual because the top part of that “K” includes very few people while a much larger number of Americans make up the bottom, as we point out here.

So, there is no doubt that many families are struggling, which begs the question what you can do about it.

If you need help, it is important to remember that you are not alone. Far from it. Tens of millions of Americans are in the same position. Fortunately, while Republicans in Congress cut SNAP, they didn’t eliminate the program altogether. In addition, assistance from state and local governments is available as well.

Finally, there are also lots of organizations out there that want to give their neighbors a helping hand. If you need one (or would like to extend one), you can go here to find out how.