Republicans’ proposed cuts to food stamps would slash benefits to 1 in 5 Texas kids

A House Republican proposal  to slash $290 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, will have devastating effects on San Antonio and Texas families, including cutting benefits for 1 in 5 kids statewide, a new study finds.

Proposed cuts outlined by GOP members of the House Agriculture Committee would shrink a typical Lone Star State household’s SNAP benefits by nearly $83 monthly, according to an analysis by progressive think tank The Century Foundation. The furrow also would affect 1.6 million Texas kids, or roughly 19% of the state’s under-18 population, researchers found.

“This is really going to hurt states like Texas, especially families with kids,” said study author Rachel West, a senior fellow at the The Century Foundation.

If passed, the cut would be the largest rollback of food assistance in U.S. history, and it comes as grocery costs remain high and the White House’s on-again-off-again tariffs are sowing economic anxiety.

Beyond the Texas numbers, The Century Foundation study breaks down the data on how SNAP cuts will affect children by congressional district. The numbers show that all but one of San Antonio’s five districts has a higher percentage of kids than the state average who depend on food stamps to put food on the table:

• 20th District: 29.5%
• 21st District: 9.6%
• 23rd District: 22.8%
• 28th District: 30.7%
• 35th District: 24. 1%

In a public statement, the Republican architects of the proposed SNAP cuts defend them as an effort to eliminate waste, require benefits recipients to work and require states to shoulder more of the cost.

However, West said she expects already cash-strapped states — especially those under GOP control — to take steps to reduce or completely avoid those obligations. Texas, for example, would be required to make up a portion of the $1.6 billion reduction it would see in annual benefits, according to the study.

“States are getting hit with a triple whammy,” said West, who previously served as special assistant to President Joe Biden for labor and workers at the White House Domestic Policy Council. “At the same time they’re being asked to pick up the bill for food stamps, they’re paying for additional healthcare costs, and the Trump administration’s also freezing grants.”

Further, the proposed gutting of SNAP benefits comes after the White House recently pulled $11 million in food aid from hungry Texans. Earlier this spring, the Agriculture Department closed down a program that helps local farms and ranches supply local nutrition-assistance groups with fresh food.

San Antonio Food Bank officials said the termination of that program yanked $3.1 million from its funding. The nonprofit already was bracing for rising need as it heads into the high-demand summer months and as tariffs and federal layoffs create turmoil for area families.

“Our food bank network is gravely concerned about the impact these debilitating cuts will have in our state,” Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks, said in an emailed statement. “Families across Texas are already struggling to find affordable food and healthcare, pay their rent and put gas in the car. From seniors living on fixed incomes, to veterans unable to find work, to families with children juggling a tight budget, too many Texans are hurting.”

One in six Texas households is already struggling to afford food, Cole added.

“Together, the administration and Congress are just cutting everything off at the pass,” study author West added. “Food banks must be staring down a cataclysm right now in their ability to serve families.”

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This article appears in May 14-27, 2025.