August 25, 2026 — As the largest cuts to SNAP in the program’s history take hold, a new survey from ParentsTogether Action found that two out of three families who depend on the program to put food on the table have already watched their benefits shrink over the past year. 

The survey of more than 523 respondents who receive SNAP or have received it in the past three years found that 67% of families surveyed say they have seen a decrease in their SNAP benefits over the past year, while 21% say they have not and 12% are not sure.

• “I lost my SNAP benefits in June after a car accident left me out of work. I filed an appeal within 10 days so I could keep receiving benefits while my case was under review, but I still haven’t received anything.” – Brinkley (RI)
• “They took over $120 off our SNAP. We have a hard time keeping up with bills. I get SSI, and that is my only income for my daughter and myself.” – Brandi (KS)
• “We had our food assistance cut after I started working. We were receiving $400 a month, but after I reported my new income and reapplied, our benefits dropped to just under $200. We also didn’t receive any benefits for one month during the process.” – Amanda (OR)

Beyond SNAP, families surveyed say the cost of everyday essentials is squeezing their budgets from every direction. 75% of respondents pointed to affording food as one of the biggest economic challenges their family faces right now, followed by affording utilities (60%), paying for essentials like gas and diapers (54%), and paying for or finding housing (40%).

• “If I lost SNAP, the impact would be severe. I would have to use a good part of my paycheck. And my bills would suffer after I pay rent.” – Parent in CO
• “We’ve had to cut back on the amount of food we buy each month. Instead of cooking 2 meals a day, we’re cooking 1 meal a day, no snacks or fruits, we’re mainly eating ground meat/ground turkey & pork every night for dinner because it’s the cheapest. I’ve looked up recipes to make food go further, like casseroles and pastas.” – Brandi (TX)

32% of respondents said rising health care costs have also forced their family to skip filling prescriptions, and 30% say they’ve had to delay care altogether.

• “I have copays again for my meds so sometimes I miss a day or two to make them last longer.” – Sonya (CT)

Nearly all respondent households (94%) rely on at least one public support beyond SNAP, underscoring how deeply interconnected these programs are for keeping families afloat—and how cuts to one program can compound the strain caused by cuts to another.

Most families surveyed are also raising children: 68% of respondents are a parent or caregiver for children under 18, and nearly one in five are simultaneously caring for another adult family member, whether an elderly parent or grandparent (15%) or an adult child or family member with a disability (18%).

“Behind every one of these numbers is a family that’s had to make an impossible choice this year,” said Ailen Arreaza, Executive Director of ParentsTogether Action. “Two out of three families surveyed who depend on SNAP have already seen their benefits shrink, and they’re telling us plainly where that gap is landing: on groceries, on utilities, on whether they can afford to fill a prescription.  These cuts are not filtering out “waste, fraud, and abuse” like the administration would like us to believe — they are parents deciding between paying the electric bill and putting food on the table, or skipping meals so their kids can eat. Families should not have to make these choices. It’s long past time elected officials reverse course and prioritize helping families thrive, not cutting the very programs that keep them afloat.”

Parent storytellers are available to speak about how SNAP cuts and rising costs are affecting their families, and how public programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and school meals have helped them stay afloat.

Additional quotes from parents: 

“We wouldn’t eat throughout the month without SNAP. Even though we don’t get a lot, it helps. We’ve already seen our benefits decrease by $94 a month, and we were barely getting by as it was–especially during Summer break. I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that everyone abuses the system and wants to buy junk food. We can’t even afford to buy cereal for breakfast every day because it doesn’t last long enough. We have to buy things that we can stretch out. Even with doing all of that, the SNAP is usually gone by the middle of the month.” – Christopher (FL)

ParentsTogether Action, a nonprofit parent and family advocacy group that represents more than 3 million families, brings parents together to make a difference on the issues that matter most to our kids and families — things like family leave, childcare, and quality education.