Millions of Americans, including Ohioans, are eligible for food assistance but remain without support, even as hunger continues to rise. The situation has worsened following significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a critical lifeline for those living in or near poverty. These cuts are tied to a Republican spending law signed by President Donald Trump, which has imposed more restrictions and penalties on the program. Experts warn that the changes will deepen the challenges already faced by low-income households.
The SNAP program, designed to help individuals and families struggling to make ends meet, is crucial for poverty alleviation. Yet, a new analysis has revealed a disturbing trend: significant portions of eligible populations are not receiving benefits they qualify for. According to Eric Pachman, founder of Data 4 the People, a nonprofit focused on data analysis, this trend is already severe and may only worsen as a result of recent legislative changes.
A Growing Gap Between Eligibility and Assistance
A recent study by Pachman’s organization uncovered alarming statistics about the reach of SNAP benefits in the U.S. According to the findings, in 63% of U.S. counties, eligible individuals were not receiving food assistance in 2023. The gap was particularly significant in states with Republican-controlled governments.Â
For example, in states like Wyoming, only 45% of those living at or below the federal poverty level received SNAP benefits, while Massachusetts, governed by Democrats, had a much higher participation rate of 154% (which includes people receiving benefits in excess of their needs, a statistic that helps reflect the program’s reach).
This discrepancy in participation is not new. As the study shows, there has been a long-standing partisan divide regarding the program’s administration. States with unified Republican control over their legislatures and governorships tend to have lower SNAP participation rates, according to Pachman’s data.
This trend is not only reflective of policy choices but also has real-world consequences for those living in poverty. In Arkansas, for instance, strict work requirements and changes in government control have led to a drastic reduction in the percentage of residents receiving food assistance. What was once 90% in 2014 plummeted to just 54% in 2023.
Impacts of Trump’s Spending Law on SNAP
The cuts to SNAP in the Republican spending law, signed by President Trump, have brought even stricter requirements for both beneficiaries and state administrators. Starting this year, recipients aged 55 to 64, as well as parents of children between 14 and 18, will need to meet an 80-hour per month work requirement to continue receiving assistance. These changes are set against the backdrop of broader restrictions, including the removal of exemptions from work requirements for veterans, the homeless, and those aging out of foster care.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, these new work requirements are part of a broader effort to encourage long-term financial independence. But experts argue that these measures may only exacerbate the issue. States are already facing mounting challenges, as increasing administrative costs and penalties for exceeding error rates threaten to push them to limit participation further. Ohio food banks, for example, warn that the state may be forced to pay millions of dollars in penalties for not meeting the federally mandated error rate, a move that could drastically reduce the number of people served by the program.
In 2025, 1.45 million Ohioans were without SNAP benefits, despite being eligible. The imposition of such restrictive measures on a program already under strain may ultimately force states to reduce their SNAP caseloads, leaving even more people hungry. While the federal government’s intention may be to encourage self-sufficiency, the real-world impact of these changes could be much more damaging. According to Pachman, these policies may create an incentive for states to provide fewer benefits, ultimately worsening the food insecurity crisis in America.
The future of SNAP is uncertain, but the evidence is clear: millions of eligible Americans continue to fall through the cracks of an increasingly fragmented and politicized safety net. As the debate continues, the question remains: how much longer can the system afford to ignore the needs of those it was designed to serve?
