Angelica Garcia worried whether something was wrong after she applied this year for food stamps and did not get a response for more than two months.
She repeatedly visited the local Department of Economic Security office in Tucson, Arizona, waiting hours before she could speak to a case worker. When she could schedule a phone interview, there was no way to reach someone directly, be placed on hold or leave a message, she said. Garcia, 45, called up to 20 times before reaching someone. As Garcia waited, she and her 14-year-old daughter cut spending and relied on relatives and food banks.
“You just have to keep calling. And it's so frustrating because there's thousands and thousands of people trying to call in,” Garcia said. “It’s appalling that
it’s such a wall that’s been put up.”
Her ordeal came as Arizona and other states rushed to address Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program changes approved by Congress and President Donald Trump as part of the GOP tax and spending bill in 2025. The bill increased state costs, tied how much the federal government will pay for the program to state payment error rates and added stricter work requirements. Garcia is among many SNAP recipients who have faced delays and uncertainty as states adjust to the changes.
Meanwhile, SNAP enrollment has fallen by more than 5 million people since Trump signed the legislation in July of last year, including seniors and families with children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Arizona, participation has dropped by more than half since then with about 421,000 people receiving assistance in June, according to an analysis by the anti-hunger nonprofit Food Research and Action Center.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the changes ensure SNAP is sustainable for future generations.
“The Working Families Tax Cuts bill restores basic work requirements, prioritizes American citizens, and implements reasonable cost-sharing measures with states to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse," Kelly said.
Arizona changed parts of its application process this spring to address the changes. It increased documentation requirements, implemented continuous income monitoring and created a review process to resolve errors, according to the state's Department of Economic Security. The state's fiscal 2027 budget includes $31.8 million for new administrative costs.
Department spokesman Brett Bezio blamed Arizona's food stamp processing delays on the GOP tax and spending bill, saying his state had to act quickly to avoid $300 million in penalties. The state has made improvements since, Bezio said, including by hiring additional staff, prioritizing answering calls from people within four days of their scheduled interviews and making it possible for applicants to wait on hold or be called back.
During the more than two months it took to get her food stamps approved, Garcia found a full-time night job in hospitality. The income means she and her daughter qualify for just $104 a month in SNAP benefits. The assistance helps, Garcia said, but doesn't go far as food costs continue to rise. As she waited for that assistance, she added, it broke her heart watching her 14-year-old daughter keep track of their budget.
"Kids shouldn't have to worry about how much the meal is going to cost. It's hard to see her being so concerned about the cost of food,” Garcia said.
SNAP cuts
On Oct. 1, states started paying 75% of SNAP administrative costs. For decades, those expenses – including staffing, technology and operations — were evenly split with the federal government.
The bigger change arrives in October 2027, when states for the first time will have to help pay for SNAP benefits. States with payment error rates above 6% will be required to cover a share of those costs. States with error rates above 10% could end up paying for 15% of their SNAP benefits.
The rate, a federal measure of SNAP overpayments and underpayments based on a sample of cases, does not measure fraud and can reflect routine mistakes by applicants or caseworkers. Because it is recalculated annually, states could see significant swings in their costs from year to year.
With a national error rate of 10.62%, more than 30 states are expected to face penalties ranging from tens of millions to billions of dollars. The Food Research and Action Center estimates the combined changes will shift $13.8 billion in costs from the federal government to states.
Unlike the federal government, most states must balance their budgets annually. To absorb the new costs, governors and lawmakers might have to raise taxes, cut spending on other programs or reduce SNAP participation.
No state has said it will leave SNAP, but the Congressional Budget Office warned some could do so because of the new financial burden. Alabama and Arizona officials have warned the penalty could mean dropping out.
State officials told USA TODAY they don't know where the money will come from, their budgets are already stretched and they're lobbying Congress for relief.
Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said her state has not yet decided where it will find the additional $53 million a year needed for SNAP administration. The error rate penalties beginning in 2027, she added, could be a "budget buster." Massachusetts, with an error rate above 12%, could owe $392 million, according to the Food Research and Action Center.
Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak said his state also has not determined where it will find $10 million for SNAP administration.
"Every single penny in our budget is going to really critical services," Pieciak said.
In January, bipartisan groups representing America's governors, state legislators and counties pleaded in a letter to federal lawmakers to delay the penalty until fiscal 2030.
The pressure appears to be gaining traction. The Farm Bill, which is waiting for a full Senate vote, included a one-year delay on the requirement for states to take on more costs, but also increased the amount they could be forced to pay to 20% rather than 15%. Republicans want a one-year extension and Democrats want a two-year extension.
'Fill our stomachs'
In the spring, Christopher Lovato, 48, of Littleton, Colorado, saw SNAP benefits for his family of four fall from $619 a month to $130. He works full time in the gig economy while his wife cares for their two autistic children.
Colorado’s SNAP payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 was 10.09%. The state plans to use new technology, including AI, to reduce that, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Department spokesman John Rosa said privacy laws prevent him from discussing individual cases. But when a household’s monthly allotment changes significantly, he said, it is typically due to changes in reported household income, composition or allowable expenses.
Lovato said his income from food deliveries has changed little, but he was told his monthly earnings were about $150 too high to continue receiving the larger benefit.
“The explanation was pretty vague,” he said.
He said scrutiny increased during the recertification process and the state was interested in the money they’ve socked away in a college fund for the kids. It’s taken away his faith in politics, Lovato said, and he questions if any politician “really cares.”
The family went from making one food bank visit a month to visiting several along with church pantries.
“Our fridge is pretty empty. And it is just really, really disheartening,” he said.
He said he would like to work more, but it’s hard to balance with small children with special needs.
The reduced benefit has forced the family to cut back on fresh vegetables, fish and other healthier foods.
"We have got to at least put food in our stomachs in any way possible, whether it be something that's not as nutritious as it used to be or go as cheap as possible,” he said. "And that's even hard, too, because nothing's really cheap anymore."
The uncertainty is constant, Lovato said.
"I just want to be able to wake up knowing that things are going to be okay every day,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: States scramble to fill gap as millions lose food aid amid new SNAP requirements
