Amid SNAP policy changes, nonprofit leaders fear worsening food assistance landscape

Food bank leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth, the third-most food-insecure metro area in the country, are advocating for legislators to reverse impending changes to the federal food stamp program. 

By 2027, Texas could be required to pay roughly an additional $800 million per year to maintain the distribution of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. 

Jeff Smith, director of communications at the North Texas Food Bank, said his organization distributes millions of meals in D-FW annually across a network of over 400 food pantries. 

Though federal funding cuts to programs supporting their work have caused the NTFB to double down on fundraising efforts, Smith said, the food bank’s main concern – and key focus of advocacy efforts – is ongoing changes to SNAP policy. 

SNAP, historically referred to as food stamps, provides monthly food benefits to low-income families who face food insecurity. Working adults, children, people with disabilities and older adults can be eligible, according to Feeding America, a national food insecurity nonprofit. 

Roughly 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP assistance, The Dallas Morning News previously reported. About 1.7 million of those are children. 

Related: What are SNAP and EBT benefits, who receives them and why are they at risk?

Clarissa Clarke, the NTFB’s government relations officer, said the organization has made SNAP advocacy a priority. 

“SNAP is the first line of defense against hunger; it keeps our line shorter, our demand down,” Clarke said. When SNAP benefits were delayed last year due to the government shutdown, Clarke said the food bank saw a noticeable increase in need across their agency partners. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture administers SNAP programming, providing benefits for states to distribute. Texas’ Department of Health and Human Services administers the program for the state. Though the NTFB does not administer SNAP directly, they help families seeking benefits apply, Clarke said. 

Last year, SNAP benefits were impacted by both the government shutdown and legislative changes to qualification requirements and administration within H.R. 1, what President Donald Trump referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” 

While work requirements and eligibility changes alongside funding cuts have already come into effect, the NTFB is advocating for adjustments to two additional policy changes set for October 2026 and 2027. 

Federal nutrition assistance programs fall under the Farm Bill, the latest version of which is set to expire in September. The House recently passed their version of the bill, while the Senate is deliberating over theirs, Clarke said. Once passed, the Senate and House will reconcile their versions to produce the final bill. 

The food bank is advocating for adjustments to impending SNAP changes to be included in this bill. Thus far, the Senate’s draft, introduced June 23, does not make these adjustments. 

The first policy NTFB is advocating to change is a potential increase in states’ share of SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 75%. This shift could require Texas to pay an additional $117 million upon going into effect Oct. 1, 2026. 

Clarke is also advocating for states to receive more time to address paperwork errors made by applicants or the state that cause over- or under-paying benefits. 

On Oct. 1, 2027, financial consequences for states with administrative error rates over 6% are set to be raised. Texas has an error rate of 8.32%, Clarke said, which is set to cost the state another $709 million per year – but she is confident that with time, the state can reduce this rate. 

“We’re not saying we’re just going to let it go or anything like that,” Clarke said. “We’re just saying give us a little more time to get the error rate down because we know we can do better.” 

What remains unknown, Clarke said, is how Texas will shift funds around to pay the increased administrative fees, especially as the state legislature is out of regular session until January. 

Whether these rising costs for the state will impact SNAP beneficiaries is a question that will not be addressed until the Texas legislature is back in session, Clarke said. 

The Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit advocating for federal nutrition programs, is also working to encourage the addition of relief for states into this bill. 

FRAC’s director of SNAP Advocacy & Policy, Gina Plata-Nino, said food-insecure Americans and the network of nonprofits working to support them are facing the “most unprecedented changes in SNAP history.”

Plata-Nino is concerned rising administration costs may cause state authorities to eventually cease participating in SNAP entirely. Regardless, she said the money addressing these new requirements could be better spent on education or public health programs. 

Christine Ramos, of the food bank’s social services team, spoke to The News from a pop-up truck called SNAP Mobile, which travels to areas experiencing food insecurity to offer information about SNAP and help North Texans sign up for government assistance programs. 

Amid the recent policy changes, she has had to combat what she called an uptick in misinformation and assist potential SNAP applicants in seeking employment as they navigate shifted workforce requirements. 

“People continue to come in every day,” Ramos said. “Any situation could take them here, a lost job, an accident; it really could be anything.” 

Both Ramos and Clarke pointed to a particular increase in families seeking assistance, which they say makes the proposed changes especially troubling. 

“I see families out there who have to go out of their way to skip their meals to provide for their children, to make sure those children have a meal,” Clarke said.